| Abstrakt: |
In this paper are presented the concentrations of some volatile organic compounds (VOC) in water samples of Vlora Bay. This area could be affected by VOC because of intense ship transport inside the bay, industrial activity in the area of Vlora area and urban wastewaters from the city of Vlora as well as from the new arrivals from Vjosa River. Vlora Bay is a natural bay in which there are located several ports such as the port of Vlora, Petrolifera, the fishing port, etc. The volatile organic pollutants that were analyzed in this study were chlorobenzenes and BTEX (Benzene, Toluene, Ethylbenzene, ortho-, meta and para-Xylenes). The water samples were taken in July 2022, at 12 different stations of the Vlora Bay starting from Petrolifera to Radhima station. The head space solid phase micro-extraction (HS/SPME) method was used for the extraction and quantitative analysis of VOC followed by gas chromatography (GC) techniques. This method presents advantages for the analysis of volatile pollutants because it excludes the use of organic solvents and sample treatment steps. The sensitivity and reproducibility of HS is favorable for VOC in water samples. Adsorption of organic pollutants was performed on a polydimethyl siloxane (PS) fiber while the desorption process was realized in the gas chromatograph injector at high temperature. The qualitative and quantitative analysis of chlorobenzenes was carried out in the GC/ECD apparatus, while the analysis of BTEX was carried out in the GC/FID apparatus. Volatile organic pollutants were present in almost all the samples analyzed. BTEX were detected at higher levels. Their presence is related to the high intensity of transport within the Vlora Bay area. Benzene was the compound that was most frequently identified in the highest amount for all samples. Chlorobenzenes were also detected for all analyzed samples. 1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene was identified at the highest level. The presence of chlorobenzenes may be a consequence of urban spills, cleaning/sanitization solvents, as degradation products of other compounds (pesticides, PCBs, etc.), farming, etc. The presence of BTEX and chlorobenzenes in the water samples of Vlora Bay indicates that the monitoring of this area should be continuous. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
