LABORATORY METHODS FOR VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUNDS EVOLVED IN MINERALIZATION STUDIES

摘要

A system to study mineralization of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) was developed using commercially available solid-phase VOC traps and impingers to collect CO_2 as well as VOCs breaking out from the solid-phase trap. The efficiencies of VOC traps containing activated charcoal (AC) or graphitized carbon black (GCB) for absorbing [~(14)C]trichloroethylene ([~(14)C]TCE) and ~(14)CO_2 were evaluated, and approaches for minimizing VOC losses from reaction vessels were established. Mass balances showed AC and GCB absorbed similar amounts of [~(14)C]TCE. However, GCB had no detectable ~(14)CO_2 retention, whereas AC absorbed about 7% of the ~(14)CO_2. Because ~(14)CO_2 absorption could influence the interpretation of mineralization experiments, GCB was concluded to be the better VOC-trapping matrix.