USE OF SEMI-PERMEABLE MEMBRANE DEVICES IN ORDER TO INVESTIGATE THE PARTITIONING OF PAHS IN SEDIMENTS AND THEIR POTENTIAL FUGACITY

摘要

Semi-permeable devices (SPMDs) are membranes widely used in monitoring studies for their capability to sample passively hydrophobic compounds. SPMDs were used in a Mediterranean lagoon in order to investigate the partitioning of PAHs in sediments and their potential fuga-city.rnA SPMD was placed for 30 days at 4-m depth in the south-eastern part of the Berre lagoon (Marseille, France), and it supplied a short time-integrated measure of 15 PAH concentrations.rnPAHs were partitioned between SPMD and sediment according to their molecular weight: low molecular weight PAHs were quantified in higher concentration in SPMD, while those of high molecular weight were more abundant in superficial sediments.rnFugacity was higher than 1 for most PAHs, with the exception of those with higher molecular weight. Therefore, the flux of these organic contaminants was from sediment to water.