Abstract:
The common sampling methods for monitoring the deposition from precipitation as well as for groundwater or surface water monitoring as a rule only detect the momentary concentrations of contaminants (a snapshot in time). The long-term variations in concentrations, important for the evaluation of the water quality, are not determined nor are the short-term extreme values (which, when they have been found by chance, can lead to even bigger interpretation errors). The aim of the passive sampler concept used here is to obtain a time-integrated averaging during sampling (sum analysis) over a longer time period. This reduces not only the number of necessary analyses to only a few integrating sum analyses but also prevents artefacts from being introduced during sampling, transportation and Storage (e.g. due to evaporation or sorption) of the sample.
In this thesis, two time-integrating water sampling methods for organic contaminants have been developed that facilitate the detection of the mean contaminant concentrations with only a few integrating analyses (long-term monitoring) and, therefore, work at very low costs.
For the case of atmospheric deposition the time integration is obtained with the use of adsorption cartridges filled with an adsorbent material that takes up contaminants from the percolation water through adsorption. In this way the quantitative determination of the deposition rate after extraction is obtained.
The time-integrated monitoring of contaminant concentrations in groundwater is achieved by using ceramic dosimeters that are installed, for example, in existing sampling wells. Once put into the water, they continuously accumulate contaminants during the whole sampling period (up to many months) from the contact water. This is achieved without active assistance, i.e. without a disturbance of the hydraulic flow field by pumping and therefore without the danger of influencing the concentration of the contaminants. The ceramic dosimeter consists of a ceramic tube containing an adsorbent material (suitable for the contaminants) in which the porous ceramic serves as a membrane which is only permeable for the contaminants. In addition to this, the ceramic dosimeters can be calibrated since the contaminant uptake is limited by diffusion through the ceramic membrane. In principle, this concept is suitable for both surface and waste waters as well.
The Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH) was the most surveyed group of contaminants because they are one of the most wide-spread of all organic pollutants in the environment.