Toxicity and chemical analyses of airport runoff waters in Poland.

The aim of this study was to assess the ecotoxicological effects of various compounds in complex airport effluents using a chemical and ecotoxicological integrated strategy. The present work deals with the determination of sum of PCBs, PAHs, pesticides, cations, anions, phenols, anionic, cationic, non-ionic detergents, formaldehyde and metals--as well as TOC and conductivity--in runoff water samples collected from 2009 to 2011 at several locations on two Polish international airports. Two microbiotests (Vibrio fischeri bacteria and the crustacean Thamnocephalus platyurus) have been used to determine the ecotoxicity of airport runoff waters. The levels of many compounds exceeded several or even several tens of times the maximum permissible levels. Analysis of the obtained data shows that samples that displayed maximum toxicity towards the bioindicators Vibrio fischeri were not toxic towards Thamnocephalus platyurus. Levels of toxicity towards T. platyurus are strongly correlated with pollutants that originate from the technological operations related to the maintenance of airport infrastructure. The integrated (chemical-ecotoxicological) approach to environmental contamination assessment in and around airports yields extensive information on the quality of the environment. These methodologies can be then used as tools for tracking the environmental fate of these compounds and for assessing the environmental effect of airports. Subsequently, these data will provide a basis for airport infrastructure management.

Analytical procedures for the determination of fuel combustion products, anti-corrosive compounds, and de-icing compounds in airport runoff water samples.

The purpose of this study is to propose and evaluate new procedures for determination of fuel combustion products, anti-corrosive and de-icing compounds in runoff water samples collected from the airports located in different regions and characterized by different levels of the activity expressed by the number of flights and the number of passengers (per year). The most difficult step in the analytical procedure used for the determination of PAHs, benzotriazoles and glycols is sample preparation stage, due to diverse matrix composition, the possibility of interference associated with the presence of components with similar physicochemical properties. In this study, five different versions of sample preparation using extraction techniques, such as: LLE and SPE, were tested. In all examined runoff water samples collected from the airports, the presence of PAH compounds and glycols was observed. In majority of the samples, BT compounds were determined. Runoff water samples collected from the areas of Polish and British international airports as well as local airports had similar qualitative composition, but quantitative composition of the analytes was very diverse. New and validated analytical methodologies ensure that the necessary information for assessing the negative impact of airport activities on the environment can be obtained.

Green chromatography.

Analysis of organic compounds in samples characterized by different composition of the matrix is very important in many areas. A vast majority of organic compound determinations are performed using gas or liquid chromatographic methods. It is thus very important that these methods have negligible environmental impact. Chromatographic techniques have the potential to be greener at all steps of the analysis, from sample collection and preparation to separation and final determination. The paper summarizes the approaches used to accomplish the goals of green chromatography. While complete elimination of sample preparation would be an ideal approach, it is not always practical. Solventless extraction techniques offer a very good alternative. Where solvents must be used, the focus should be on the minimization of their consumption. The approaches used to make chromatographic separations greener differ depending on the type of chromatography. In gas chromatography it is advisable to move away from using helium as the carrier gas because it is a non-renewable resource. GC separations using low thermal mass technology can be greener because of energy savings offered by this technology. In liquid chromatography the focus should be on the reduction of solvent consumption and replacement of toxic and environmentally hazardous solvents with more benign alternatives. Multidimensional separation techniques have the potential to make the analysis greener in both GC and LC. The environmental impact of the method is often determined by the location of the instrument with respect to the sample collection point.

Contamination of runoff water at Gdansk Airport (Poland) by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs).

Airport runoff can contain high concentrations of various pollutants, in particular polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), the environmental levels of which have to be monitored. Airport runoff water samples, collected at the Gdansk-Rebiechowo Airport from 2008 to 2009, were analysed for PAHs and PCBs by gas chromatography. The aromatic fractions were separated by liquid-liquid extraction and analysed by GC/MS. Total PAH concentrations were 295-6,758 ng/L in 2008 and 180-1,924 ng/L in 2009, while total PCB levels in 2008 ranged from 0.14 to 0.44 µg/L and in 2009 from 0.06 to 0.23 µg/L. The PAH and PCB compositions in airport runoff waters were examined over a range of spatial and temporal scales to determine distributions, trends and possible sources. This pollution is mainly pyrolytic and related to anthropogenic activity. There were significant differences between the samples collected in the two seasons. An understanding of the magnitude of contamination due to airport runoff water is important for the effective management of airport infrastructure.