Use of ion-exclusion chromatography for monitoring fatty acids produced by bacterial anaerobic degradation of tetrachloroethene in ground water.

ABSTRACT

A rapid method for the simultaneous quantification of non-volatile and volatile fatty acids in aqueous sample by ion-exclusion chromatography is described. The sample is directly injected into the column and detected by a chemically suppressed conductivity detector, connected in tandem with an UV detector at 210 nm. The method allows detection of fatty acid as low as 1 ppm with a linear dynamic range up to 1000 ppm. At least 13 fatty acids can be determined within 50 min. This technique has been used to monitor the common fermentation products (lactate, acetate, propionate and butyrate) of the reductive dehalogenation of tetrachloroethene by anaerobic bacteria.