Lowering of concentration of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in liquid media by sorption into polyethylene terephtalate - a model study

摘要

Rapeseed oil and water were spiked with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) solutions at the total levels of 955.1 and 711.4 mug kg(-1), respectively, filled into polyethylene terephtalate (PET) cylindrical receptacles and the PAH concentrations in both liquid media followed for more than 90 h by HPLC. During this time, the PAH concentrations decreased by 315.1 in oil and 212.7 mug kg(-1) in water due to an interaction of PAHs with PET. Using a modified kinetic equation, the diffusion coefficients for PAHs in both liquid media were determined. Values of the diffusion coefficients obtained indicate that the polarity of medium did not affect the rate of PAH removal. Calculation of the area occupied by a PAH molecule on the PET surface suggests that either the multilayer adsorption or the diffusion of PAHs into PET bulk came into account as the decisive factor bringing about the decrease of PAH concentrations in both media.