Field screening of polycyclic hydrocarbons contamination in soil using a portable synchronous scanning spectrofluorometer

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) contamination is a considerable problem at various hazardous waste sites. Sources of PAH contamination include incomplete combustion processes, wood preservatives, and the fuel industry. The development of rapid, cost-effective field screening techniques to qualitate or quantitate potential PAH contamination could result in improved remediation efficiency. We have recently developed a portable spectrofluorometer for screening potential PAH contaminants at field sites using the synchronous fluorescence approach. Synchronous fluorescence differs from the more conventional excitation or emission fluorescence as both monochromators are scanned simultaneously with a constant wavelength offset (Δλ) between the two. The portable spectrofluorometer was developed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), National Exposure Research Laboratory, and recently field tested at the American Creosote Works Superfund Site in Jackson, Tennessee. In this paper, the portable spectrofluorometer was used to field screen several contaminated soil areas located at the Morristown Industrial Site in Morristown, Tennessee using the synchronous fluorescence technique. An attempt to quantify PAH contamination was performed using the NIST 1647a priority pollutant standard to generate a calibration curve. Representative samples were subsequently related to the results obtained from standard laboratory measurements.

Duke Scholars

Author Tuan Vo-Dinh Biomedical Engineering