Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Accumulation Performances of Monophasic Butyl Rubber Passive Samplers

Abstract

In the present study, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) accumulation performances of four butyl rubber (BR) monophasic passive samplers with different pore structures were investigated and the results were compared with monophasic polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) samplers and biphasic semipermeable membrane devices (SPMDs). Stainless steel cages containing passive samplers were deployed in the water column in Istinye Bay, Istanbul Strait, and retrieved after 7 and 28 days. Collected samplers were analyzed using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) to determine their PAH contents. Results showed that BR passive samplers have sampled all PAHs for both short- and longterm sampling periods while SPMD samplers only collected twelve and thirteen PAHs after 7 and 28 days, respectively. PDMS samplers showed the poorest performance, having only sampled seven and ten PAHs after 7 and 28 days, respectively. Among the BR samplers, a monophasic BR sampler with a single pore network (SN10) showed the most feasible performance in terms of PAH sampling and its preparation cost. Results highlighted that the SN10 sampler with a wide absorption range and monophasic structure can be used as an alternative passive sampler for pollution monitoring in marine environments.