Date of Award
4-2000
Degree Name
Master of Arts
Department
Chemistry
First Advisor
Dr. Jay C. Means
Second Advisor
Dr. Donald Schreiber
Third Advisor
Dr. Steven Bertman
Access Setting
Masters Thesis-Open Access
Abstract
PCBs are widely distributed in the environment and they are biologically refractory and toxic compounds. There is great interest in understanding their fate in the environment, and also for finding safe and effective degradation methods.
This study is concerned with the photodegradation of four PCB congeners: PCB 5, PCB 18, PCB 77, PCB 128 in natural waters. Natural waters contain humic substances which can greatly influence the environmental fate of the PCBs. The different degradation of the four congeners was studied in standardized systems and in humic acid or nitrate solutions, under environmental conditions. DMDE and Methoxyclor (whose environmental half-lifetimes were reported in the literature) were used to estimate the environmental half-lifetimes of the four PCB congeners.
Recommended Citation
Nicolaescu, Adriana R., "Photodegradation of PCBS in Natural Waters" (2000). Masters Theses. 4344.
https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/masters_theses/4344