Determination of volatile organic pollutants in water samples of White Drin River, Kosovo
Keywords:
White Drin River, Chlorbenzene’s, BTEX, Head Space, SPME, GC/ECD/FIDAbstract
In this paper, the concentrations of some volatile organic compounds (VOC) in water samples from the White Drin River (Kosovo) are presented. The White Drin River is one of the largest river in Kosovo and one of the largest in the Balkans. Water of the river could be affected by anthropogenic pollutions that comes mainly by directly discharges of urban wastewaters. The volatile organic pollutants that were analyzed were chlorobenzenes (mono-, di-, tri-, tetra-, penta- and hexachlororbenzene) and BTEX (Benzene, Toluene, Ethylbenzene, ortho-, meta- and para-Xylenes). Water samples were taken in February 2023, at 15 different stations from Drini Waterfall (near Peja to Albanian border). The head space solid phase micro-extraction (HS/SPME) method was used for the extraction and quantitative analysis of chlorobenzenes and BTEX followed by gas chromatography (GC) techniques. This method presents advantages for the analysis of volatile pollutants because it eliminates the use of organic solvents and different sample treatment steps that often lead to erroneous results. The sensitivity and reproducibility of HS is favorable for volatile organic pollutants. The adsorption of organic pollutants was carried out on a polydimethyl siloxane (PS) fiber at a temperature of 50oC for 30 minutes. Desorption process was carried out in the injector of the gas chromatograph at high temperature (250oC for 10 seconds). The qualitative and quantitative analysis of chlorobenzenes (mono-, di-, three-, tetra-, penta- and hexachlorobenzene) was realized in the GC/ECD apparatus, while the analysis of BTEX was carried out in the GC/FID apparatus. VOC were present almost in all analyzed samples. BTEX presence is related to the high intensity of transport near the river. The presence of chlorobenzenes can be a consequence of urban spills, of cleaning/sanitization processes, as degradation products of other compounds (pesticides, PCBs, etc.).
References
Ukoha, P. O., Ekere, N. R., Timothy, C. L., & Agbazue, V. E. (2015). Benzene, toluene, ethylybenzene and xylenes (BTEX) contamination of soils and water bodies from alkyd resin and lubricants industrial production plant. Journal of Chemical Society of Nigeria, 40(1), 51-55
Osuji, I., & Achugasim, O. (2010). Trace metals and volatile aromatic hydrocarbon content of Ukpeliede-I oil spillage site, Niger Delta, Nigeria. Journal of Applied Sciences and Environmental Management, 14(2), 17-20
Ezquerro, O., Ortiz, G., Pons, B., & Tena, M. T. (2004). Determination of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylenes in soils by multiple headspace solid-phase microextraction. Journal of chromatography A, 1035(1), 17-22.
Beltrán, J., López, F. J., & Hernández, F. (2000). Solid-phase microextraction in pesticide residue analysis. Journal of chromatography A, 885(1-2), 389-404.
Directive 2008/105/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on environmental quality standards in the field of water policy, amending and subsequently repealing Council Directives 82/176/EEC, 83/513/EEC, 84/156/EEC, 84/491/EEC, 86/280/EEC and amending Directive 2000/60/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council
ISO 5667-3:2018, Water quality — Sampling — Part 3: Preservation and handling of water samples
Dukaj, A., Shkurtaj, B., & Nuro, A. (2015). Determination of MTBE, TBA, BTEX and PAH in sediment and water samples of Karavasta lagoon. Journal of International Environmental Application & Science, 10(2), 162-167.
Duka, A., Shkurtaj, B., & Nuro, A. (2015). Chlorbenzenes, Organochlorinated Pesticides and PCB in Biota samples of Karavasta Lagoon. International Journal of Ecosystems and Ecology Science (IJEES), 5(2), 217-228.
Nuro, A., Marku, E., & Murtaj, B. (2019). Organic pollutants in Hot-Spot area of Porto-Romano, Albania. In International Scientific Conference “Kliment’s Days (Vol. 104, pp. 243-255).
Borshi, X., Nuro, A., Macchiarelli, G., & Palmerini, M. G. (2016). Determination of PAH and BTEX in water samples of Adriatic Sea using GC/FID. International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences, 5(11), 877-884.
