TY - JOUR A1 - Dorgerloh, Ute A1 - Becker, Roland A1 - Nehls, Irene T1 - Volatile hydrocarbons in contaminated soil: Robustness of fractional quantification using headspace gas chromatography-mass-spectrometry N2 - Fuel contamination of soils display complex and variable hydrocarbon mixtures with different volatility and toxicity characteristics. A recently suggested headspace procedure for the structure-based quantification of volatile hydrocarbons is evaluated regarding repeatability, reproducibility, and practical robustness. Three aliphatic and three aromatic fractions covering the boiling range between 69 and 216°C were defined as summation parameters by their respective equivalent carbon number ranges. A standard mixture of 35 aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons was used for calibration on basis of selected mass fragments specific for the aliphatics and aromatics, respectively. Two standard soils were fortified with the standard mixture or different fuels, respectively, and submitted to the analytical procedure. Limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) were for all fractions lower than 0.1 and 0.3 mg/kg, respectively. Analyte recovery was linear up to between 20 and 110 mg hydrocarbons/kg soil depending on the fraction. Hydrocarbon recovery ranged between 80% and 110% depending on the fraction and the repeatability was typically better than 10%. Finally, the impact of extraction solvent variation, column solid-phase polarity, and alternative summation of fractions were investigated. The procedure was applied to liner samples taken from a site contaminated with aviation fuel and its practicability is discussed. KW - Gasoline KW - Contaminated site KW - Equivalent carbon number KW - Fuel KW - Static headspace PY - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1080/15320383.2018.1418287 SN - 1532-0383 SN - 1549-7887 VL - 27 IS - 1 SP - 1 EP - 12 PB - Taylor & Francis AN - OPUS4-43889 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Sanchez-Martin, Pedro A1 - Becker, Roland A1 - Toepel, J. A1 - Gorbushina, Anna T1 - An improved test for the evaluation of hydrocarbon degradation capacities of diesel-contaminating microorganisms N2 - The development of a test to evaluate the degradation of semi-volatile fuels as diesel by microorganisms is presented. This method is based on the principles described in the CEC-L-103 Standard procedure that is exclusively meant for testing the biodegradability of non-volatile lubricants. Therefore, significant modifications involve aseptic conditions for testing specific microorganisms and conducting the test in closed vessels avoiding evaporation losses, while fuel quantification using gas chromatography-flame ionization detection (GC-FID) is retained. It is suggested that the modified procedure should enable routine application for semi-volatile hydrocarbon-based fuels. GC-FID provides additionally valuable information on the alteration of fuel component patterns during biodegradation. The procedure was successfully tested using two bacteria (Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Sphingomonas sp.) and two yeasts (Moesziomyces sp. and Candida sp.) isolated from real diesel contamination cases. All tested microorganisms caused a significant degradation of diesel fuel achieving hydrocarbon degradation percentages ranging from 23% to 35%. Specific aspects on the test modification and prospects for further modification regarding targeted investigations in the field of fuel contamination by microorganisms are briefly discussed. KW - Biofouling KW - Bacteria KW - Fungi KW - CEC-L-103 KW - GC-FID KW - Reference organisms PY - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ibiod.2018.01.009 SN - 0964-8305 VL - 129 SP - 89 EP - 94 PB - Elsevier AN - OPUS4-44524 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Paul, Andrea A1 - Wander, Lukas A1 - Becker, Roland A1 - Goedecke, Caroline A1 - Braun, Ulrike T1 - High-throughput NIR spectroscopic (NIRS) detection of microplastics in soil N2 - The increasing pollution of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems with plastic debris leads to the accumulation of microscopic plastic particles of still unknown amount. To monitor the degree of contamination analytical methods are urgently needed, which help to quantify microplastics (MP). Currently, time-costly purified materials enriched on filters are investigated both by micro-infrared spectroscopy and/or micro-Raman. Although yielding precise results, these techniques are time consuming, and are restricted to the analysis of a small part of the sample in the order of few micrograms. To overcome these problems, here we tested a macroscopic dimensioned NIR process-spectroscopic method in combination with chemometrics. For calibration, artificial MP/soil mixtures containing defined ratios of polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polypropylene, and polystyrene with diameters < 125 µm were prepared and measured by a process FT-NIR spectrometer equipped with a fiber optic reflection probe. The resulting spectra were processed by chemometric models including support vector machine regression (SVR), and partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA). Validation of models by MP mixtures, MP-free soils and real-world samples, e.g. and fermenter residue, suggest a reliable detection and a possible classification of MP at levels above 0.5 to 1.0 mass% depending on the polymer. The benefit of the combined NIRS chemometric approach lies in the rapid assessment whether soil contains MP, without any chemical pre-treatment. The method can be used with larger sample volumes and even allows for an online prediction and thus meets the demand of a high-throughput method. KW - Microplastics KW - Soil KW - Chemometrics KW - PLS-DA KW - Support vector machines KW - Near Infrared Spectroscopy PY - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-018-2180-2 SN - 1614-7499 SN - 0944-1344 VL - 26 IS - 8 SP - 7364 EP - 7374 PB - Springer AN - OPUS4-45405 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Mueller, Axel A1 - Becker, Roland A1 - Dorgerloh, Ute A1 - Simon, Franz-Georg A1 - Braun, Ulrike T1 - The effect of polymer aging on the uptake of fuel aromatics and ethers by microplastics N2 - Microplastics are increasingly entering marine, limnic and terrestrial ecosystems worldwide, where they sorb hydrophobic organic contaminants. Here, the sorption behavior of the fuel-related water contaminants benzene, toluene, ethyl benzene and xylene (BTEX) and four tertiary butyl ethers to virgin and via UV radiation aged polypropylene (PP) and polystyrene (PS) pellets was investigated. Changes in material properties due to aging were recorded using appropriate polymer characterization methods, such as differential scanning calorimetry, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, gel permeation chromatography, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and microscopy. Pellets were exposed to water containing BTEX and the ethers at 130-190 mg/L for up to two weeks. Aqueous sorbate concentrations were determined by headspace gas chromatography. Sorption to the polymers was correlated with the sorbate's Kow and was significant for BTEX and marginal for the ethers. Due to substantially lower glass transition temperatures, PP showed higher sorption than PS. Aging had no effect on the sorption behavior of PP. PS sorbed less BTEX after aging due to an oxidized surface layer. KW - BTEX KW - Polypropylene KW - Polystyrene KW - Sorption KW - Degradation PY - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2018.04.127 SN - 0269-7491 VL - 240 SP - 639 EP - 646 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam AN - OPUS4-44990 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Fischer-Tenhagen, C. A1 - Johnen, D. A1 - Nehls, Irene A1 - Becker, Roland T1 - A Proof of Concept: Are Detection Dogs a Useful Tool to Verify Potential Biomarkers for Lung Cancer? N2 - Early and reliable diagnostic test is essential for effective therapy of lung cancer. Volatile organic compounds that are characteristic for cancer could serve as valuable biomarkers in cancer diagnosis. Both trace analytical and detection dog approaches give some evidence for the existence of such biomarkers. In this proof of concept, study dogs and trace analysis were implemented in combination to gain more information concerning cancer biomarkers. Two dogs were trained to distinguish between absorbed breath samples of lung cancer patients and healthy persons and succeeded with correct identification of patients with 9/9 and 8/9 and correct negative indications from of 8/10 and 4/10 samples from healthy individuals. A recent observational study found that breath samples from lung cancer patients showed an increase in 1-butanol, 2-butanone, 2-pentanone, and hexanal. Synthetic air samples were therefore fortified with these compounds and adsorbed to a fleece. Tested against breath samples from healthy probands, on presentation to the dogs these synthetic samples provoked an indication in three out of four samples. We were able to demonstrate that a combination of the natural nose of a dog and a trace analytic technique can be a valuable concept in the search for cancer biomarkers. KW - Lung cancer KW - Breath KW - Detection dog KW - Biomarkers KW - Sampling KW - Synthetic air PY - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2018.00052 SN - 2297-1769 VL - 5 SP - Article 52,1 EP - 6 PB - Frontiers Research Foundation CY - Lausanne AN - OPUS4-44466 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Becker, Roland A1 - Sporkert, F. A1 - Lô, I. A1 - Baumgartner, M. T1 - The determination of ethyl glucuronide in hair: Experiences from nine consecutive interlaboratory comparison rounds N2 - The increasing request for hair ethyl glucuronide (HEtG) in alcohol consumption monitoring according to cut-off levels set by the Society of Hair Testing (SoHT) has triggered a proficiency testing program based on interlaboratory comparisons (ILC). Here, the outcome of nine consecutive ILC rounds organised by the SoHT on the determination of HEtG between 2011 and 2017 is summarised regarding interlaboratory reproducibility and the influence of procedural variants. Test samples prepared from cut hair (1 mm) with authentic (in-vivo incorporated) and soaked (in-vitro incorporated) HEtG concentrations up to 80 pg/mg were provided for 27–35 participating laboratories. Laboratory results were evaluated according to ISO 5725-5 and provided robust averages and relative reproducibility standard deviations typically between 20 and 35% in reasonable accordance with the prediction of the Horwitz model. Evaluation of results regarding the analytical techniques revealed no significant differences between gas and liquid chromatographic methods In contrast, a detailed evaluation of different sample preparations revealed significantly higher average values in case when pulverised hair is tested compared to cut hair. This observation was reinforced over the different ILC rounds and can be attributed to the increased acceptance and routine of hair pulverisation among laboratories. Further, the reproducibility standard deviations among laboratories performing pulverisation were on average in very good agreement with the prediction of the Horwitz model. Use of sonication showed no effect on the HEtG extraction yield. KW - Ethyl glucuronide KW - Interlaboratory comparison KW - Proficiency testing KW - Society of hair testing KW - Reproducibility KW - Pulverization PY - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.forsciint.2018.04.025 SN - 0379-0738 SN - 1872-6283 VL - 288 SP - 67 EP - 71 PB - Elsevier AN - OPUS4-44881 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Piechotta, Christian A1 - Iznaguen, Hassan A1 - Traub, Heike A1 - Feldmann, Ines A1 - Köppen, Robert A1 - Witt, Angelika A1 - Jung, Christian A1 - Becker, Roland A1 - Oleszak, Katrin A1 - Bücker, Michael A1 - Urban, Klaus A1 - Reger, Christian A1 - Ostermann, Markus T1 - Bewitterungsszenarien im Vergleich – Veränderungen in der Oberflächenmorphologie von Polypropylen (PP) und Polystyrol (PS) unter dem Aspekt des Austrags von polybromierten Flammschutzmitteln N2 - Gegenstand der vorzustellenden Arbeiten ist die Prüfung der Umwelt-beständigkeit und -verträglichkeit von Materialien und Produkten hinsichtlich der Emission von potenziellen Schadstoffen in die Umwelt. Hierzu werden chemisch-physikalische Einflüsse (Bewitterung) und mikrobielle Beanspruchungen an Modellmaterialien evaluiert. So werden die Freisetzungsraten von Schadstoffen in Abhängigkeit der Beanspruchung beschrieben. Als Modellmaterialien kommen die Polymere Polystyrol (PS) und Polypropylen (PP) zum Einsatz. Synergistische Effekte der Bewitterungsparameter und der mikrobiologischen Beanspruchung sollen dabei ebenso betrachtet werden, wie die gezielte Alterung. Auch findet eine Beschreibung des Verhaltens der ausgetragenen Schadstoffe in den Umweltkompartimenten Boden oder Wasser statt. Hier sind mit Hilfe der zu entwickelnden Screening- und non-Target-Analyseverfahren die Transformation und der Metabolismus durch Mikroorganismen zu beschreiben. Aus den Ergebnissen sollen Korrelationen zwischen den künstlichen Alterungsverfahren und realen Szenarien abgeleitet werden. T2 - 47. Jahrestagung der GUS CY - Blankenloch-Stutensee, Germany DA - 21.03.2018 KW - Schadstoffaustrag KW - Umweltsimulation KW - Bewitterung PY - 2018 SN - 978-981-18507-2-7 VL - 47 SP - 115 EP - 128 AN - OPUS4-49802 LA - deu AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - GEN A1 - Sauer, Andreas A1 - Buttler, Sabine A1 - Becker, Roland T1 - Bericht zum 24. BAM-Ringversuch "Altlasten" N2 - Präsentation der Ergebnisse eines Ringversuchs zur Kompetenzbewertung von Prüflaboratorien auf dem Gebiet der anorganischen und organischen Bodenanalytik: Polychlorierte Biphenyle (PCB) in Boden, Mineralölkohlenwasserstoffe (MKW) in Boden, Elemente in Boden und Gesamtcyanid in Boden. KW - Spurenelemente KW - Boden KW - Gesamtcyanid KW - Eignungsprüfung KW - MKW KW - PCB PY - 2018 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-473418 SP - 1 EP - 183 PB - Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM) CY - Berlin AN - OPUS4-47341 LA - deu AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - de Souza Machado, A. A. A1 - Lau, C. W. A1 - Till, J. A1 - Kloas, W. A1 - Lehmann, A. A1 - Becker, Roland A1 - Rillig, M. C. T1 - Impacts of microplastics on the soil biophysical environment N2 - Soils are essential components of terrestrial ecosystems that experience strong pollution pressure. Microplastic contamination of soils is being increasingly documented, with potential consequences for soil biodiversity and function. Notwithstanding, data on effects of such contaminants on fundamental properties potentially impacting soil biota are lacking. The present study explores the potential of microplastics to disturb vital relationships between soil and water, as well as its consequences for soil structure and microbial function. During a 5-weeks garden experiment we exposed a loamy sand soil to environmentally relevant nominal concentrations (up to 2%) of four common microplastic types (polyacrylic fibers, polyamide beads, polyester fibers, and polyethylene fragments). Then, we measured bulk density, water holding capacity, hydraulic conductivity, soil aggregation, and microbial activity. Microplastics affected the bulk density, water holding capacity, and the functional relationship between the microbial activity and water stable aggregates. The effects are underestimated if idiosyncrasies of particle type and concentrations are neglected, suggesting that purely qualitative environmental microplastic data might be of limited value for the assessment of effects in soil. If extended to other soils and plastic types, the processes unravelled here suggest that microplastics are relevant long-term anthropogenic stressors and drivers of global change in terrestrial ecosystems. KW - Mikroplastik KW - Einfluß KW - Boden PY - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.8b02212 SN - 0013-936X SN - 1520-5851 VL - 52 IS - 17 SP - 9656 EP - 9665 PB - American Chemical Society AN - OPUS4-46547 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Becker, Roland A1 - Altmann, Korinna A1 - Braun, Ulrike T1 - Querschnittsthema Referenzmaterialien: Planung Ringversuche N2 - Nach einer Erläuterung der international üblichen Definitionen von Referenzmaterialien und Matrix-Referenzmaterialien erfolgt eine Zusammenfassung der spezifischen Anforderungen bei Herstellung und Charakterisierung. Weiterhin werden die unterschiedlichen Anforderungen an die Durchführung von Ringversuchen im Sinne eines Methodenvergleiches, einer Eignungsprüfung von Laboratorien und der Zertifizierung von Matrix-Referenzmaterialien gegenübergestellt. Für den aktuell geplanten ersten Ringversuch zur Quantifizierung von Mikroplastik in Schwebstoffen mittels thermischer Verfahren werden die konkreten technischen Bedingungen zur Herstellung entsprechender Referenzmaterialien einschließlich der Homogenitätsprüfung ihrer Mikroplastikgehalte dargestellt. Die Besonderheiten des Ringversuches vor dem Hintergrund einer Normung der eingesetzten Verfahren werden diskutiert. T2 - Forschungsschwerpunkt „Plastik in der Umwelt – Quellen • Senken • Lösungsansätze“: 2. Workshop des Querschnittsthemas „Analytik und Referenzmaterialien“ CY - Augsburg, Germany DA - 4.7.2018 KW - Mikroplastik KW - Referenzmaterialien KW - Ringversuche KW - Thermische Verfahren KW - Schwebstoffe KW - Methodenvergleich PY - 2018 AN - OPUS4-45681 LA - deu AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -