Browsing by Author "Buckley, Brian"

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The Characterization of Tentatively Identified Compounds (TICs) in Water Samples Collected from Public Water Systems in New Jersey: Research Project Summary
(Trenton, N.J. : New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Division of Science, Research and Technology, 2003-03) Murphy, Eileen; Buckley, Brian; Lippincott, Lee; Yang, Ill; Rosen, Bob
This is a summary report of a detailed investigation in which the analysis of synthetic organic chemicals by Gas Chromatography (GC) and Liquid Chromatography (LC) was conducted on raw and finished water samples collected from public water supplies using ground water as a source of drinking water. All water systems sampled are known to be contaminated by volatile organic chemicals except for one (the “control” system). This work investigated the potential presence of non-volatile and semi-volatile organic chemicals in those water supplies. Five bottled waters were also sampled. Several generalizations can be made: 1) water serving systems impacted by identified hazardous waste sites have distinct and sometimes unique TICs associated with them; 2) TICs are generally low in concentration, most being estimated at a concentration below a part per billion (microgram per liter, mg/L); and 3) many organic chemicals reported as TICs were not actually in the water sampled but were found in the analysis due to sampling and/or laboratory contamination.
Determination of Organic Compound Classes Using Research and Regulatory Analytical Techniques for the Demonstration Project: Public Water Systems (PWS) Groundwater Investigation at Merchantville/Pennsauken and Fair Lawn Water Treatment Facilities
(Trenton, N.J. : Department of Environmental Protection, Division of Science and Research, and Environmental Health, 2017-03-31) Lippincott, Lee; Buckley, Brian
The objectives of this study were to; (1) Investigate how three different commercially available granular activated carbon media influenced the removal of synthetic organic compounds and natural (macromolecular) materials. (2) Identify adsorbent characteristics between these three carbon types that optimize the uptake of SOCs and NOMs, potentially demonstrating a full range of compound class coverage. (3) Provide the purveyors of these facilities with an assessment of the efficiency of GAC as a barrier technology for removal of a broad spectrum of trace organic contaminants and assess the potential life span of the filtration media.
Determination of Organic Compound Classes Using Research and Regulatory Analytical Techniques for the Demonstration Project: Research Project Summary
(Trenton, N.J. : Department of Environmental Protection, Division of Science, Research and Environmental Health, 2017-04) Lippincott, Lee; Buckley, Brian
This research demonstrated the ability to track trace-level unregulated contaminants through the treatment train at two water treatment facilities that are within the capture zone of a hazardous waste plume. Sample collection initiated in April 2011 and sampling continued through 2014 at the Merchantville/Pennsauken Water Treatment Plant Marion Avenue Facility (MPW) in Camden County and the Fair Lawn Cadmus Avenue Facility in Bergen County. Each facility utilized air-stripping technology to remove regulated VOC contamination prior to implementation of GAC treatment. This research evaluated the removal/reduction efficiency of physical adsorption technologies to reduce the levels of trace organic compounds using three types of commercially available granular activated carbon (GAC). Monitoring the actual efficiency of the removal media, like granular activated carbon, does not routinely occur at low parts-per-trillion concentration levels. Typically, pilot or bench-scale column studies have focused on sorptive capacity with spiked chemicals at part-per-million concentrations rather than ambient level, (part-per-trillion), concentrations to determine removal efficiency. Often the media is evaluated at concentrations that are orders of magnitude higher than the levels in the water due to limitations of traditional measurement methods. Thus, the sorption efficiency, molecular diffusion into the GAC pore structure, and other physical sorption phenomena do not represent the trace organic matrix condition that the media is actually exposed to under normal operational conditions. Therefore, it was the objective of this study to measure the efficiency of the media at ambient parts per trillion levels. This research utilized both optimized regulatory analytical methodology in conjunction with state-of-the-art analytical research methods to determine the full scale activated carbon treatment removal efficiencies of unregulated contaminants in ground water. Although the three different carbon types evaluated were similar in performance, the data indicated that performance differences existed in the GAC material and were related to the polarity of the observed unregulated contaminants. The New Jersey Department of Health analytical method identified very low levels of unregulated nonpolar contaminants throughout the drinking water treatment train. The percentage of TICs removed to below detection limit as analyzed by the 525.2LL method for both systems represented a 91-99% reduction. On the other hand, the Rutgers EOHSI laboratory technique identified a select few, more-polar compounds, which passed through the treatment train to delivered drinking water. The percentage of TICs removed to below detection limit as analyzed by the Solid Phase Micro Extraction (SPME) method for both systems represented a 72-85% reduction. Given the difference in preferential adsorption and removal by the GAC materials, none of the three carbon types can be used alone to remove the full suite of observed polar and nonpolar organic compounds
Development and Optimization of a Sampling and Analytical Method to Measure Hexavalent Chromium in Ambient Air
(Trenton, N.J. : New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, 2009-10-07) Fan, Zhihua (Tina); Lin, Lin; Huang, LiHui; Yu, Chang Ho; Buckley, Brian; Bollen, Brad; Bonanno, Linda
The overall goal of this study was to develop a sensitive and reliable method for the measurement of ambient airborne Cr(VI) by systematically evaluating and optimizing the sampling, sample processing and analytical processes. This method can also simultaneously quantify the inter-conversion rates between Cr(VI) and Cr(III) and the recovery rate of Cr(VI).
Evaluation Of Methods For Quantifying Cr (VI) And Cr (III) In Soils And Wastes: Research Project Summary
(Trenton, N.J. : New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Division of Science, Research and Technology, 2009-03) Lippincott, R. Lee; Buckley, Brian
An interlaboratory study comparing the three quantitation methods EPA 7196A, 7199 and 6800 demonstrated a statistically significant 31.6% difference between method 6800 and the results from the other two quantification methods (7196A and 7199) using the same extraction protocol (3060A). Method 6800 uses a stable isotope spike to adjust for loss of Cr (VI) to reduction during the extraction process. Method 6800 had significantly higher values for soluble Cr (VI) than either of the two methods that do not compensate for reduction or loss of Cr (VI) measured with an external spike. It is however limited by the amount of stable isotope spiked into the matrix. The other methods of quantification (USEPA method 7196A, 7199, or others) can underestimate the amount of soluble Cr (VI) if reduction occurs during the extraction or analysis process. Determination of where in the analytical process the Cr (VI) spike loss occurs cannot be made without the ability to quantitate the Cr (III) species. Therefore, it cannot be assumed that a poor Cr (VI) measurement was caused only by reduction of the Cr (VI). For example,if the Cr (VI) in a sample was either precipitated or absorbed to the soil surface by the addition of the extraction solvent or formed a complex with an organic moiety, it may still be available for oxidation back to Cr (VI) or dissociation to soluble Cr (VI) if conditions in its environment change. While ICP/MS analysis should identify all soluble chromium, species, whether or not they had been complexed with an organic ligand, it cannot compensate for insoluble forms of Cr (VI) that may have been precipitated or absorbed to the soil surface. The process of making all Cr species soluable is key to an accurate determination of the amount of Cr (VI) present.