Improving the Adsorption Efficiencies of Polychlorinated Biphenyls and Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers Using a Passive Water Sampling Device in Marine Environment

Abstract

This study focused on improving the adsorption efficiencies of organic micropollutants, such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) using a passive water sampling device (PWSD) in a marine environment during summer. Two factors were considered when increasing the adsorption efficiency by improving the sampling rate (Rs) of PWSDs for target PCBs and PBDEs: 1. Controlling the invasion of the sticky organisms that cause biofouling by tearing the semipermeable membrane device (SPMD) inside the PWSD canister; 2. Preventing various suspended solids from clogging the PWSD pores. To resolve these problems, two types of enhanced PWSD samplers were devised, namely a round prest-type PWSD canister with zooplankton netting (netted), and a copper-coated prest-type PWSD canister. Copper is generally toxic to marine organisms. The netted and copper-coated PWSD samplers were deployed in Masan Bay and Ulsan Bay and their adsorption efficiencies for PCBs and PBDEs were compared with that of the prest-type PWSD sampler. The copper-coated PWSD had an Rs 1.5~1.8 times higher than that of the netted and prest-type PWSDs. A comparison of the adsorption amount of PCBs and PBDEs showed similar results, and copper-coated PWSD adsorbed more target compounds than the netted and prest-type PWSDs. The adsorption patterns of PCB homologues were similar regardless of the sampling site and sampler type, but those of PBDE homologues in the netted and prest-type PWSDs deployed in Ulsan Bay were somewhat different from the others. By comparing the adsorption amounts of PCB and PBDE homologues according to the octanol-water partition coefficients, it was found that the coppercoated PWSD adsorbed more PCBs and PBDEs than the netted and prest-type PWSDs, especially high molecular homologues. Based on these results, the copper-coated PWSD could be used to effectively prevent the biofouling of the SPMD membrane and clogging of the PWSD canister during both summer and winter.