The effect of diethylene glycol on pollution from offshore gas platforms
Michela Mannozzi A , Giorgio Famiglini B D , Achille Cappiello B , Chiara Maggi A , Pierangela Palma B , Maria Teresa Berducci A , Veronica Termopoli B , Andrea Tornambè A and Loredana Manfra A CA ISPRA – Institute for Environmental Protection and Research, Via Brancati 60, I-00144 Rome, Italy.
B University of Urbino Carlo Bo, Department of Pure and Applied Sciences, LC-MS Laboratory Piazza Rinascimento 6, I-61029 Urbino, Italy.
C Department of Biology and Evolution of Marine Organisms, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn Villa Comunale, I-80121 Naples, Italy.
D Corresponding author. Email: giorgio.famiglini@uniurb.it
Environmental Chemistry 15(2) 74-82 https://doi.org/10.1071/EN17198
Submitted: 7 November 2017 Accepted: 15 December 2017 Published: 24 April 2018
Environmental context. Marine mining activities are potential sources of environmental pollution. Diethylene glycol used in offshore platforms has been suspected to facilitate the release of toxic substances into the sea. The results obtained elucidate that this release is not significant for the metals examined here, apart from iron, nor for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, even at very high diethylene glycol concentrations.
Abstract. The role of diethylene glycol (DEG) as a co-solvent for selected organic and inorganic pollutants adsorbed onto the particulate matter in produced formation water (PFW) from offshore gas platforms is thoroughly evaluated. Artificial seawater samples were spiked with certified sediments containing several polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and metals. Aliquots (1 L) containing no DEG and DEG at 3500 and 5000 mg L−1 were kept in static and dynamic modes for 24 h before analysis to allow sufficient partitioning time between solid and liquid phases for the selected analytes. The Italian legislation on this matter sets 3500 mg L−1 as the highest concentration for DEG in PFW. In our experiments, concentrations equal to and above the set limit were chosen to enhance any possible co-solvent effect. Real PFW samples were also analysed, both with and without DEG. The analyses were conducted by using GC-MS for the PAH, and ICP-MS for the metals. A minor co-solvent effect was observed for low-molecular-weight PAH in the artificial seawater in static mode. Among metals, only iron showed an increase in solubility in the presence of DEG, demonstrating the co-solvent effect of DEG. The experiments in dynamic mode revealed no increase in the solubility of any other analytes in the liquid phase compared with static mode.
Additional keywords: GC-MS, heavy metals, ICP-MS, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, produced formation water.
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