Development of diffusive gradients in thin-films technique for monitoring polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in coastal waters

Zishan Diao; Guoqin Feng; Weikun Xu; Fanping Zhu; Yiqiao Zhang; Jianlu Duan; Mengxin Xu; Xue Zhang; Xiaohan Zhang; Shan Zhao; Shuguang Wang; Xianzheng Yuan

doi:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2024.134384

Development of diffusive gradients in thin-films technique for monitoring polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in coastal waters

J Hazard Mater. 2024 Apr 21:471:134384. doi: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2024.134384. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Zishan Diao¹, Guoqin Feng², Weikun Xu³, Fanping Zhu⁴, Yiqiao Zhang⁵, Jianlu Duan⁵, Mengxin Xu⁵, Xue Zhang⁵, Xiaohan Zhang⁶, Shan Zhao¹, Shuguang Wang⁷, Xianzheng Yuan⁴

Affiliations

¹ Shandong Key Laboratory of Water Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shandong University, Qingdao, Shandong 266237, PR China; Shandong Key Laboratory of Environmental Processes and Health, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shandong University, Qingdao, Shandong 266237, PR China.
² Shanghai Hansoh Biomedical, Shanghai 201203, PR China.
³ National Deep-Sea Center, Qingdao, Shandong 266237, PR China.
⁴ Shandong Key Laboratory of Water Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shandong University, Qingdao, Shandong 266237, PR China; Sino-French Research Institute for Ecology and Environment, Shandong University, Qingdao, Shandong 266237, PR China.
⁵ Shandong Key Laboratory of Water Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shandong University, Qingdao, Shandong 266237, PR China.
⁶ Shandong Key Laboratory of Water Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shandong University, Qingdao, Shandong 266237, PR China; Shandong Key Laboratory of Environmental Processes and Health, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shandong University, Qingdao, Shandong 266237, PR China. Electronic address: xiaohanzhang@sdu.edu.cn.
⁷ Shandong Key Laboratory of Water Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shandong University, Qingdao, Shandong 266237, PR China; Sino-French Research Institute for Ecology and Environment, Shandong University, Qingdao, Shandong 266237, PR China; WeiHai Research Institute of Industrial Technology of Shandong University, Weihai 264209, PR China.

PMID: 38663292
DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2024.134384

Abstract

Addressing the challenge of accurately monitoring polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in aquatic systems, this study employed diffusive gradients in thin-films (DGT) technique to achieve methods detection limits as low as 0.02 ng L^-1 to 0.05 ng L^-1 through in situ preconcentration and determination of time-integrated concentrations. The efficacy of the developed DGT samplers was validated under diverse environmental conditions, demonstrating independence from factors such as pH (5.03-9.01), dissolved organic matter (0-20 mg L^-1), and ionic strength (0.0001-0.6 M). Notably, the introduction of a novel theoretical approach to calculate diffusion coefficients based on solvent-accessible volume tailored for PAHs significantly enhanced the method's applicability, particularly for organic pollutants with low solubility. Field deployments in coastal zones validated the DGT method against traditional grab sampling, with findings advocating a 4 to 7-day optimal deployment duration for balancing sensitivity and mitigating lag time effects. These results provide a sophisticated, efficient solution to the persistent challenge of monitoring hydrophobic organic pollutants in aquatic environments, broadening the scope and applicability of DGT in environmental science and providing a robust tool for researchers.

Keywords: Coastal waters; Diffusion coefficient; Diffusive gradients in thin-films technique (DGT); Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).