Application of environmental isotopes in organic contaminant studies

当今水资源的主要环境问题之一是有机化合物对地下水的污染。这种对人类健康的潜在危害已经产生了重大的研究努力，以更好地了解地下有机化合物的行为和命运以及修复技术。最有问题的地下水污染物之一是氯代烃。这些化合物是过去四十年来干洗和制造业用作清洁剂和脱脂剂的挥发性有机化合物（VOC）。与汽油泄漏有关的地下水中另一个主要的有机物是BTEX（苯、甲苯、乙苯、二甲苯）。 咨询公司面临的一个常见环境问题是确定控制地下水和非饱和带中污染物羽流行为的过程。本研究探讨了环境同位素在地下水及包气带有机污染物研究中的新应用。 同位素的方法将为他们提供一个新的工具，可用于评估土壤的能力，以减轻污染负荷和降解途径负责的污染物在饱和和非饱和区的生物降解。这些方面对污染场地短期和长期补救策略的选择具有重要的经济意义

One of the major environmental concerns in water resources today is contamination of groundwater by organic compounds. This potential hazard for human health has generated major research efforts to better understand the behavior and fate of organic compounds in the subsurface and remediation technologies. One of the most problematic groundwater pollutant groups is the chlorinated hydrocarbons. These compounds are volatile organic compounds (VOCs) used as cleaners and degreasers by the dry cleaning and manufacturing industries over the last four decades. The other major organic group of concern in groundwater associated with gasoline spills is BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylenes). One of the common environmental problems facing consulting companies is the identification of the processes that control the behavior of contaminant plumes in groundwater and in the unsaturated zone. This study explores new applications of environmental isotopes in organic contaminant studies in groundwater and the unsaturated zone. The isotopic approach will provide them with a new tool that can be used to evaluate the capacity of the soil to attenuate the contaminant load and the degradation pathways responsible for biodegradation of the contaminants in the saturated and unsaturated zone. These aspects have significant economic implications for the selection of short and long-term remediation strategies at contaminated sites