Jay Thompson, PhD, PE (Minnesota) will present on using performance reference compounds for measuring equilibrium concentrations of hydrophobic organic chemicals in sediment at the American Chemical Society’s Fall 2023 Conference to be held at The Moscone Center in San Francisco, California. His talk will be held at 10:40 a.m. on August 16, 2023. The theme of the fall conference is “Harnessing the Power of Data.”

Jay is an Environmental Engineer who focuses on environmental forensics, environmental liability apportionment, sediment characterization, sediment passive sampling, and contaminant fate and transport. He often applies this expertise at complex, multi-PRP contaminated sediment megasites. Jay’s graduate school research focused on the bioavailability of hydrophobic contaminants in sediment, sediment passive sampling, and in situ sediment amendments.

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Passive sampling devices have been shown to present many advantages over conventional sampling methods for quantifying the available concentration (Cfree) of hydrophobic organic compounds in sediment. Non-equilibrium correction protocols using performance reference compounds (PRCs) have been developed for Cfree determination of hydrophobic organic compounds during short-term field deployments. A common strategy for selecting PRCs is to use isotopically labeled compounds of the same compound class as the target hydrophobic organic compound. The primary objective for this work was to validate non-equilibrium correction methods using isotopically labeled PRCs. A series of ex situ laboratory experiments with test sediment were conducted using SP3™ passive sampling devices spiked with two different classes of PRCs. In one set of test sediment, a standard suite of 10 rare congener PCB PRCs were used to quantify both the analyte uptake and PRC depletion for PCBs and PAHs. A second test was spiked with 13C labeled PCB PRCs to test if similar Cfree estimations are obtained with both sets of PRCs. The experiments demonstrated that the analyte uptake and rare PCB congener PRC elimination displayed similar kinetics, regardless of analyte class tested. Furthermore, similar PCB congener fingerprint and total PCB Cfree estimates were obtained using both 13C-labeled and rare congener PCB PRCs, suggesting that rare PCB congeners can be applied as a standard set of PRCs for Cfree determination. Standardizing PRCs for use in passive sampling devices for multiple chemical classes further facilitates the wider acceptance and adoption of the technology.

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About the event: ACS FALL 2023
For consultation regarding water quality, passive sampling, environmental forensics, and contaminated sediment, contact Jay Thompson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Learn more about Jay: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaymthompson/