Sorption of Trace-Level Organics by ABS, FEP, FRE and FRP Well Casings

The first part of this report contains the results of a literature review on whether four polymeric materials ACRYLONITRILE BUTADIENE STYRENE ABS , fluorinated ethylene propylene FEP, fiberglass-reinforced epoxy FRE and fiberglass-reinforced plastic FRP should be used in well casings when monitoring groundwater. The second part of this report contains the results of a laboratory study that compares sorption of low mgL levels of dissolved organics by these four materials with sorption by two commonly used polymeric well casing materials POLYVINYL CHLORIDE PVC and polytetrafluoroethylene PTFE. During the six-week laboratory study, ABS sorbed analytes much more rapidly and to a greater extent than the other materials, and PVC and FRE sorbed analytes the most slowly and to the least extent of the materials tested. As the study progressed there were an increasing number of unidentified peaks in the HPLC chromatograms of some of the samples. By the end of the study 1 000 hours , there were 11 additional peaks in the ABS samples, 5 in the FRP samples and 1 in the FRE samples. Analysis by purge-and-trap GCIMS of the 1000-hour samples and 500-hour samples from a leaching study revealed the identity of some of these peaks