Investigation of Fluorescent Dyes as Partitioning Tracers for Subsurface Nonaqueous Phase Liquid (NAPL) Characterization
Publication: Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 129, Issue 8
Abstract
Five fluorescent dyes were evaluated as partitioning tracers for detection and quantification of tetrachloroethylene (PCE): fluorescein, rhodamine WT (RWT), sulforhodamine B (SRB), eosine, and pyranine. Results obtained from batch tests were (a) sorption partitioning coefficients and 0.091 for RWT and SRB, respectively (eosine and pyranine increased fluorescence after soil/dye batch tests; thus, could not be obtained for these tracers) and (b) nonaqueous phase liquid/water partitioning coefficients for RWT, SRB, and eosine were 0.1703, 0.0603, and 0.049, respectively (pyranine also increased fluorescence in PCE/dye tests). Retardation factors measured in column tests for fluorescein, RWT, SRB, eosine, and pyranine were (a) 1.23, 1.45, and 2.97, in the absence of PCE; and (b) 1.31, 2.3, 1.33, 1.79, and 3.51, in the presence of PCE, respectively. The results of this study suggested that the partitioning behavior of the tracers tested is different from simple hydrophobic partitioning and that their fluorescence is complex and dependent upon several variables. Column tests indicated that RWT, SRB, and eosine are possibly suitable as partitioning tracers.
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Information
Published In
Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 129 • Issue 8 • August 2003
Pages: 740 - 744
Copyright
Copyright © 2003 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Dec 27, 2001
Accepted: Nov 8, 2002
Published online: Jul 15, 2003
Published in print: Aug 2003
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