Modelling and field application of the Chemcatcher passive sampler calibration data for the monitoring of hydrophonic organic pollutants in water

Passive sampling of dissolved pollutants in water has been gaining acceptance for environmental monitoring. Previously, an integrative passive sampler consisting of a C18 Empore® disk receiving phase saturated with n-octanol and fitted with low density polyethylene membrane, was developed and calibrated for the measurement of time weighted average (TWA) concentrations of hydrophobic pollutants in water. In this study, the exchange kinetics were modelled to obtain a better understanding of the mechanism of the accumulation process and to enable the measurement of TWA concentrations of hydrophobic pollutants in the field. An empirical relationship that enables the calculation of in situ sampling rates of chemicals using performance reference compounds was derived and its application was demonstrated in a field study in which TWA aqueous concentrations estimated from sampler data for target analytes were compared with TWA concentrations obtained from spot samples of water collected regularly during the sampler deployment period. The exchange kinetics of hydrophobic organic pollutants between passive sampler and water were modelled to enable the measurement of time weighted average concentrations of pollutants. The applicability of the model was tested in a field stud