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1333548 
Technical Report 
Solubilization of hydrocarbons by the dissolved organic matter in sea water 
Boehm, PD; Quinn, JG 
1973 
Yes 
Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta
ISSN: 0016-7037 
HEEP/74/06264* 
37 
11 
2459-2477 
English 
HEEP COPYRIGHT: BIOL ABS. Water samples from Narragansett Bay and the Providence River (USA), and fulvic acid/saline water solutions were examined for their ability to solubilize n-alkane (n-C16 and n-C20), isoprenoid (pristane) and aromatic (phenanthrene and anthracene) hydrocarbons and dibutyl phthalate. Removal of the dissolved organic matter (DOM) from the natural samples by activated charcoal and by UV oxidation resulted in a 50-99% decrease in the amounts of n-alkanes and isoprenoid hydrocarbons solubilized. This degree was directly related to the amount of DOM removed. The solubilities of the aromatic hydrocarbons were unaffected by the DOM. Fulvic acid from a marine sediment, surface active organic material isolated at a chloroform/sea water interface, organic material extracted from a marine sediment by sea water, and organic matter contributed by a municipal sewage effluent, promote n-alkane solubility when added to NaCl solutions and re-enhance solubility when added to organic depleted sea water. The solubility of Number 2 fuel oil increased 2.5 times in the presence of fulvic acid (3.7 mg C/l) with most of the increase seen in the alkane and isoprenoid components. N-Alkane solubility increases in fulvic acid/saline water solutions with increasing pH and reaches a maximum with respect to ionic strength at I = 0.3. The mode of solubilization of the hydrocarbons may be by incorporation into micelles formed by intermolecular association of the surface active humic-type monomers. The presence of ionic species is a prerequisite for micelle formation. (These findings have implications for the fate of hydrophobic pollutants in estuarine and coastal areas and the effect of municipal sewage effluents on the transport of these pollutants.) 
Water Resources Abstracts; POLLUTANTS; SOLUBILITY; FULVIC ACIDS; ORGANIC COMPOUNDS; SEWAGE EFFLUENTS; WASTE WATER TREATMENT; RHODE ISLAND; WATER POLLUTION; ESTUARIES; EFFLUENTS; WATER POLLUTION SOURCES; CHEMICAL ANALYSIS 
IRIS
• Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP)
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