Remediation   Winter   1998 95-111.

Albert Robbat Jr., Jonathan E. Kenny, Sigurdur Smarason, Jane Wu Pepper and Andrew O. Wright

Department of Chemistry, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts 02155

Abstract

This article describes new field-based technologies that support the Dynamic Workplan/Adaptive Sampling and Analysis Program employed to better characterize hazardous waste sites at lower cost.  A laser-induced flourescence (LIF) probe was designed and field-tested with a cone penetrometer (CP) for investigating petroleum contaminants present at underground tank farms.  The LIF produced real-time quantitative data for naphthalene and semiquantitative results for total petroleum hydrocarbons and diesel range organics.  Two different projects are described employing fast gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) in the field.  A 70-foot heated transfer line and probe were used in combination with a cone penetrometer to thermaly extract (TE) subsurface soil-bound semivolatile organics.  In the second project, soil samples were collected by Geoprobe ^TM and brought to the surface for analysis.  The direct measurement TECP data produced semiquantitative results while the more conventional means of collecting and analyzing samples produced risk analysis quality data in the field.  A new set of mass spectrometry algorithms provided the technology breakthrough for identifying and qualifying a wide range of Environmental-Protection-Agency-listed target compounds in the presence of high level matrix (petroleum) interferents under fast, 7 min/sample, GC conditions.  1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.