An evaluation of an automated hollow-fibre ultrafiltration apparatus for the isolation of colloidal materials in natural waters

✍ Scribed by N. A. Marley; J. S. Gaffney; K. A. Orlandini; C. P. Dugue

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1991
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 607 KB
• Volume: 5
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0885-6087
• DOI: 10.1002/hyp.3360050309

✦ Synopsis

Colloidal materials and macromolecules that are less than 045 mircons in diameter can act to transport both hydrophobic and hydrophilic contaminations in subsurface waters. An automated hollow-fibre ultrafiltration apparatus is described and evaluated regarding its ability to physically size and isolate colloidal materials from natural waters. Sufficient size-fractionated colloidal samples can be obtained from 60 litre samples to perform inorganic, organic, and radionuclide characterizations, as well as allow the binding capacities of humic and fulvic materials to be evaluated. Samples processed in the field with the automated system were compared with laboratory analyses using single cartridge hollow-fibre ultrafilters and found to agree well with each other. Typical sample reproducibilities were with 15 per cent. The results indicate that field collection of colloidal materials is feasible with minimal sample perturbation using the automated sampler.

KEY WORDS Ultrafiltration of groundwater Colloidal and macromolecular sampling methods Automated groundwater sampling system Humic and fulvic acid sampler