Field demonstration for the solvent-based sampling method to perform compound-specific isotope analysis on gas-phase VOC.

The solvent-based sampling method for collecting gas-phase volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and conducting compound-specific isotope analysis (CSIA) was deployed during a controlled field study. The solvent-based method used methanol as a sink to accumulate petroleum hydrocarbons during the sampling of soil air and effluent gas. For each gaseous sample collected, carbon isotope analysis (δC) was conducted for a selection of five VOCs (benzene, toluene, o-xylene, cyclopentane and octane) emitted by a synthetic hydrocarbon source emplaced in the subsurface.

Stable carbon and hydrogen isotope fractionation of volatile organic compounds caused by vapor-liquid equilibrium.

Several types of laboratory experiments were conducted to evaluate isotope fractionation caused by phase transfer process for a selection of common environmental contaminants. Carbon and hydrogen isotope fractionation caused by vaporization of non-aqueous phase liquid (NAPL), by volatilization from water and by dissolution into an organic solvent (tetraethylene glycol dimethylether or TGDE) under equilibrium conditions was investigated with closed system experimental setups to isolate the air-liquid partitioning process. A selection of aromatic, aliphatic and chlorinated compounds along with one fuel oxygenate (methyl tert-butyl ether or MTBE) were evaluated to determine isotope enrichment factor related to respective phase transfer process.

Optimization of the solvent-based dissolution method to sample volatile organic compound vapors for compound-specific isotope analysis.

The methodology of the solvent-based dissolution method used to sample gas phase volatile organic compounds (VOC) for compound-specific isotope analysis (CSIA) was optimized to lower the method detection limits for TCE and benzene. The sampling methodology previously evaluated by [1] consists in pulling the air through a solvent to dissolve and accumulate the gaseous VOC. After the sampling process, the solvent can then be treated similarly as groundwater samples to perform routine CSIA by diluting an aliquot of the solvent into water to reach the required concentration of the targeted contaminant.

Documentation of time-scales for onset of natural attenuation in an aquifer treated by a crude-oil recovery system.

A pipeline transporting crude-oil broke in a nature reserve in 2009 and spilled 5100 m(3) of oil that partly reached the aquifer and formed progressively a floating oil lens. Groundwater monitoring started immediately after the spill and crude-oil recovery by dual pump-and-skim technology was operated after oil lens formation. This study aimed at documenting the implementation of redox-specific natural attenuation processes in the saturated zone and at assessing whether dissolved compounds were degraded.

Solvent-based dissolution method to sample gas-phase volatile organic compounds for compound-specific isotope analysis.

An investigation was carried out to develop a simple and efficient method to collect vapour samples for compound specific isotope analysis (CSIA) by bubbling vapours through an organic solvent (methanol or ethanol). The compounds tested were benzene and trichloroethylene (TCE). The dissolution efficiency was tested for different air volume injections, using flow rates ranging from 25ml/min to 150ml/min and injection periods varying between 10 and 40min.

Analytical modelling of stable isotope fractionation of volatile organic compounds in the unsaturated zone.

Analytical models were developed that simulate stable isotope ratios of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) near a point source contamination in the unsaturated zone. The models describe diffusive transport of VOCs, biodegradation and source ageing. The mass transport is governed by Fick's law for diffusion.

Carbon isotope fractionation during volatilization of petroleum hydrocarbons and diffusion across a porous medium: a column experiment.

The study focuses on the effect of volatilization, diffusion, and biodegradation on the isotope evolution of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in a 1.06 m long column filled with alluvial sand. A liquid mixture of 10 VOCs was placed at one end of the column, and measurements of VOC vapor concentrations and compound-specific isotope ratios (delta(13)C) were performed at the source and along the column.

Carbon isotope fractionation during diffusion and biodegradation of petroleum hydrocarbons in the unsaturated zone: field experiment at Vaerløse Airbase, Denmark, and modeling.

A field experiment was conducted in Denmark in order to evaluate the fate of 13 volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that were buried as an artificial fuel source in the unsaturated zone. Compound-specific isotope analysis showed distinct phases in the 13C/12C ratio evolution in VOC vapors within 3 m from the source over 114 days. At day 3 and to a lesser extent at day 6, the compounds were depleted in 13C by up to -5.