Advancing the use of passive sampling in risk assessment and management of contaminated sediments: Results of an international passive sampling inter-laboratory comparison

This work presents the results of an international interlaboratory comparison on ex situ passive sampling in sediments. The main objectives were to map the state of the science in passively sampling sediments, identify sources of variability, provide recommendations and practical guidance for standardized passive sampling, and advance the use of passive sampling in regulatory decision making by increasing confidence in the use of the technique. The study was performed by a consortium of 11 laboratories and included experiments with 14 passive sampling formats on 3 sediments for 25 target chemicals (PAHs and PCBs). The resulting overall interlaboratory variability was large (a factor of ∼10), but standardization of methods halved this variability. The remaining variability was primarily due to factors not related to passive sampling itself, i.e., sediment heterogeneity and analytical chemistry. Excluding the latter source of variability, by performing all analyses in one laboratory, showed that passive sampling results can have a high precision and a very low intermethod variability

Turbulent mixing accelerates PAH desorption due to fragmentation of sediment particle aggregates

Purpose: Stripping contaminants from sediments with granular activated carbon (GAC) is a promising remediation technique in which the effectiveness depends on the rate of contaminant extraction from the sediment by the GAC. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of mixing intensity on the short-term extraction rate of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from contaminated sediment. Materials and methods: PAH desorption from sediment at a wide range of rotational speeds (min−1; rotations per minute (rpm)) was monitored by uptake in Tenax polymeric resins using a completely mixed batch reactor. Desorption data were interpreted using a radial diffusion model. Desorption parameters obtained with the radial diffusion model were correlated with particle size measurements and interpreted mechanistically. Results and discussion: Fast desorption rate constants, De/r2, with De the effective diffusion coefficient and r the particle radius, ranged from 3.7 × 10−3 to 1.1 × 10−1 day−1 (PHE) and 6 × 10−6 to 1.9 × 10−4 day−1 (CHR), respectively, and increased with the intensity of mixing. The De/r2 values would correspond to De ranges of 1.8 × 10−14–1.2 × 10−16 m2 × day−1 and 1.8 × 10−12–3.7 × 10−15 m2 × day−1, assuming fast desorption from the measured smallest particle size (9 μm) classes at 200 and 600 rpm, respectively. Conclusions: Desorption of PAHs was significantly accelerated by a reduction of particle aggregate size caused by shear forces that were induced by mixing. The effective intra-particle diffusion coefficients, De, were larger at higher mixing rates.</p

Advancing the Use of Passive Sampling in Risk Assessment and Management of Sediments Contaminated with Hydrophobic Organic Chemicals: Results of an International Ex Situ Passive Sampling Interlaboratory Comparison Michiel T. O. Jonker*† , Stephan A. van der He

This work presents the results of an international interlaboratory comparison on ex situ passive sampling in sediments. The main objectives were to map the state of the science in passively sampling sediments, identify sources of variability, provide recommendations and practical guidance for standardized passive sampling, and advance the use of passive sampling in regulatory decision making by increasing confidence in the use of the technique. The study was performed by a consortium of 11 laboratories and included experiments with 14 passive sampling formats on 3 sediments for 25 target chemicals (PAHs and PCBs). The resulting overall interlaboratory variability was large (a factor of ∼10), but standardization of methods halved this variability. The remaining variability was primarily due to factors not related to passive sampling itself, i.e., sediment heterogeneity and analytical chemistry. Excluding the latter source of variability, by performing all analyses in one laboratory, showed that passive sampling results can have a high precision and a very low intermethod variability (Advancing the Use of Passive Sampling in Risk Assessment and Management of Sediments Contaminated with Hydrophobic Organic Chemicals: Results of an International Ex Situ Passive Sampling Interlaboratory Comparison Michiel T. O. Jonker*† , Stephan A. van der HepublishedVersio

Advancing the Use of Passive Sampling in Risk Assessment and Management of Sediments Contaminated with Hydrophobic Organic Chemicals : Results of an International Ex Situ Passive Sampling Interlaboratory Comparison

This work presents the results of an international interlaboratory comparison on ex situ passive sampling in sediments. The main objectives were to map the state of the science in passively sampling sediments, identify sources of variability, provide recommendations and practical guidance for standardized passive sampling, and advance the use of passive sampling in regulatory decision making by increasing confidence in the use of the technique. The study was performed by a consortium of 11 laboratories and included experiments with 14 passive sampling formats on 3 sediments for 25 target chemicals (PAHs and PCBs). The resulting overall interlaboratory variability was large (a factor of ∼10), but standardization of methods halved this variability. The remaining variability was primarily due to factors not related to passive sampling itself, i.e., sediment heterogeneity and analytical chemistry. Excluding the latter source of variability, by performing all analyses in one laboratory, showed that passive sampling results can have a high precision and a very low intermethod variability (<factor of 1.7). It is concluded that passive sampling, irrespective of the specific method used, is fit for implementation in risk assessment and management of contaminated sediments, provided that method setup and performance, as well as chemical analyses are quality-controlled

Advancing the Use of Passive Sampling in Risk Assessment and Management of Sediments Contaminated with Hydrophobic Organic Chemicals: Results of an International Ex Situ Passive Sampling Interlaboratory Comparison

This work presents the results of an international interlaboratory comparison on ex situ passive sampling in sediments. The main objectives were to map the state of the science in passively sampling sediments, identify sources of variability, provide recommendations and practical guidance for standardized passive sampling, and advance the use of passive sampling in regulatory decision making by increasing confidence in the use of the technique. The study was performed by a consortium of 11 laboratories and included experiments with 14 passive sampling formats on 3 sediments for 25 target chemicals (PAHs and PCBs). The resulting overall interlaboratory variability was large (a factor of ∼10), but standardization of methods halved this variability. The remaining variability was primarily due to factors not related to passive sampling itself, i.e., sediment heterogeneity and analytical chemistry. Excluding the latter source of variability, by performing all analyses in one laboratory, showed that passive sampling results can have a high precision and a very low intermethod variability