Project Title:
Specific Identification of Organic Pollutants in Catawba
Watershed
Faculty Mentor:
Dr. Pat Owens (owensp@winthrop.edu)
Estimated Time
Commitment: Minimum 10-15 hrs/week for one semester
Coursework Pre-
and Co-requisites: CHEM 105-108 required, CHEM 301-304, 313-314,
preferred
Project Overview:
The Catawba River is an industrialized watershed with a number of permitted
direct discharges that include a variety of industrial sources and municipal
or private waste-water treatment plant (WWTP) discharges. The watershed
also serves as the principal source of drinking water for much of the region.
Cites such as Rock
Hill have drinking water intakes that are downstream of both industrial
and WWTP discharges. Little is known about the organic substances
present in these effluents. Human exposure to certain toxic organics
has been shown to cause cancer, to cause birth defects, and to disrupt
endocrine systems, particularly since organics tend to bioaccumulate in
fat cells and membranes.
The primary goal of this project is
to initiate a survey to identify organic compounds that are found in the
Catawba watershed. A sampling plan will be developed, the types of
samples (water, sediment, suspended solids) to be collected identified,
sampling locations selected (e.g. upstream and downstream of selected discharge
points). Methods to extract organics from these samples will then
be identified and carried out. Analysis of extracted samples will
utilize mass spectrometric (MS) identification and gas or liquid chromatography
(GC or LC) separation techniques. Verification of identified substances
will be then made and quantified using prepared calibration standards.
Specific Objectives:
The undergraduate researcher will:
-
Review the literature to learn—and then
to implement--sampling techniques for watershed monitoring.
-
Conduct organic extraction of watershed
samples using methodology found in current literature.
-
Use GC/MS or LC/MS to initially perform
screening surveys for substances present.
-
Conduct verification of selected species
using known standards.
-
Quantify levels of specific substances
identified.
-
Review the toxicology of organic species
found to highlight those substances of most significant concern to human
health.
-
Present his/her work at the Southeast
Regional Meeting of the ACS and/or the South Carolina Academy of Sciences
annual meeting.