• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.842-850
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• 2006

The role of chlorination reactions in the formation of polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) in a municipal waste incinerator was assessed using a chlorination model for predicting PCDF isomer distributions. Complete distributions of PCDF congeners were obtained from a stoker-type municipal waste incinerator operated under 13 test conditions. Samples were collected from the flue gas prior to the gas cleaning system. While total PCDF yields varied by a factor of five to six, the distributions of congeners were similar. A chlorination model, dependent only on the observed distribution of monochlorinated isomers, was developed to predict the distributions of poly-chlorinated isomers formed by chlorination of dibenzofuran (DF). Agreement between predicted and measured PCDF isomer distributions was high for all homologues, supporting the hypothesis that DF chlorination can play an important role in the formation of PCDF byproducts.

• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.232-240
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• 2006

Polychlorinated naphthalenes (PCNs) formed along with dibenzo-p-dioxin and dibenzofuran products in the slow combustion of dichlorophenols (DCPs) at $600^{\circ}C$ were identified. Each DCP reactant produced a unique set of PCN products. Major PCN congeners observed in the experiments were consistent with products predicted from a mechanism involving an intermediate formed by ortho-ortho carbon coupling of phenoxy radicals; polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) are formed from the same interemediate. Tautomerization of the intermediate and $H_2O$ elimination produces PCDFs; alternatively, CO elimination to form dihydrofulvalene and fusion produces naphthalenes. Only trace amounts of tetrachloronaphthalene congeners were formed, suggesting that the preferred PCN formation pathways from chlorinated phenols involve loss of chlorine. 3,4-DCP produced the largest yields of PCDF and PCN products with two or more chlorine substituents. 2,6-DCP did not produce tri- or tetra-chlorinated PCDF or PCN congeners. It did produce 1,8-DCN, however, which could not be explained.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.511-521
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• 2006

Homologue and isomer patterns of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins(PCDDs) and polychlorinated dibenzofurans(PCDFs) congeners formed from phenols in the gas-phase at $600{\sim}700^{\circ}C$ and via particle-mediated reactions at $400^{\circ}C$ were studied in an isothermal flow reactor. A mixture of 20 phenols in relative concentrations found in a municipal waste incinerator(MWI) stack gas was used for this study. PCDDs and PCDFs homologue and isomer patterns obtained from the phenol. From the phenol experiments, gas-phase formation at $600{\sim}700^{\circ}C$ favors PCDFs formation whereas particle-mediated formation at $400^{\circ}C$ favors PCDDs formation. DD and DF were most abundant homologue groups, PCDDs and PCDFs homologue fraction decreased with increasing number of chlorine substituents. PCDDs and PCDFs homologue and isomer fractions were almost constant from gas-phase formation and particle-mediated formation. Unsubstituted phenol, which was present in high concentration, played a significant role in the formation of PCDD/Fs congeners under both sets of experimental conditions.

• Proceedings of the Korea Society of Environmental Toocicology Conference
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• 2003.10a
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• pp.43-46
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• 2003

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Toxicology Conference
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• 2003.10b
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• pp.172-173
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• 2003

There are growing concerns about human health effects of dioxin and dioxin like compounds such as polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs), and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Earlier studies recognized that 2.3.7.8-tetrachloro dibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) and structually related dioxin like compounds invoke a number of common toxic responses that are mediated through a high-affinity cytosolic receptor protein, the AhR.(omitted)

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.295-301
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• 2004

In this study, static and dynamic solvent extractions are compared for more efficient extraction of polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) from fly ash. Static solvent extraction rather than dynamic extraction showed a higher recovery of PCDFs, which was adsorbed strongly with fly ash. The effects of parameters, such as temperature, toluene-isopropyl alcohol mixture, static and dynamic time flow rate, and solvent volume on the extraction were investigated and the variations in average recoveries of PCDFs were explained. In both extractions, temperature was an effective parameter because the higher temperature gave the higher recoveries. In dynamic solvent extraction, dynamic time was more effective than flow rate and solvent volume for the extraction of PCDFs from fly ash. Multi-layer column chromatography on neutral and acidic silica gel with n-hexane was used for cleaning up the extracts. The quantification of the PCDFs extracted was performed using HPLC-UV.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.14 no.7
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• pp.629-637
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• 2005

Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) were investigated in soil and pine needle samples taken from 16 sites of industrial and residential areas in Changwon, Korea to assess their distribution levels and to suggest the influence of industrial activities, PCDDs/DFs levels in the soil samples ranged from 0.57 to 20.79 pg I-TEQ/g dry weight with a mean value of 4.20 pg I-TEQ/g dry weight. PCDDs/DFs levels in the pine needle samples ranged from 0.39 to 8.75 pg I-TEQ/g dry weight with a mean value of 4.09 pg I-TEQ/g dry weight. In both soil and pine needle samples, the PCDDs/DFs concentrations in the industrial area sites were higher than those in the residential area sites. Homologue profiles in pine needle samples showed different patterns compared with soil samples. Based on the results of principal component analysis (PCA), it was confirmed that pine needles reflected a direct influence from local potential sources of PCDDs/DFs, showing a much higher degree of reflection than in soils. Pine needles are very useful as an indicator for monitoring or estimating the contamination of PCDDs/DFs in other areas which have been impacted by point pollution sources.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.48 no.1
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• pp.39-48
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• 2008

Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and dibenzofurans (PCDFs) are ubiquitous and can contaminate the food chain. A study monitoring PCDD/Fs in imported meat was conducted at the National Veterinary Research and Quarantine Service (NVRQS, Republic of Korea) in order to maintain food safety from the bioaccumulative PCDD/Fs. Seventeen PCDD/Fs with toxic equivalency factors (TEFs) established by World Health Organization (WHO, 1998) were analyzed in imported beef, pork, and chicken by high resolution gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (HR-GC/MS). Results of the monitoring for the last 5 years are presented. The levels of PCDD/Fs were similar to other studies except two unusually high concentrations in pork and beef. Excessive levels greater than the Korean provisional maximum residue limit of PCDD/Fs were found in a sample of pork imported from Chile and a sample of beef imported from U.S, and those products were rejected and returned. There was no obvious trend or differences with respect to time or origin of meat in this study.

• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.217-231
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• 2006

The gas-phase formation of polychlorinated naphthalenes (PCNs) and dibenzofurans (PCDFs) was experimentally investigated by slow combustion of the three chlorophenols (CPs): 2-chlorophenol (2-CP), 3-chlorophenol (3-CP) and 4-chlorophenol (4-CP), in a laminar flow reactor over the range of 550 to $750^{\circ}C$ under oxidative condition. Contrary to the a priori hypothesis, different distributions of PCN isomers were produced from each CP. To explain the distributions of polychlorinated dibenzofuran (PCDF) and PCN congeners, a pathway is proposed that builds on published mechanisms of PCDF formation from chlorinated phenols and naphthalene formation from dihydrofulvalene. This pathway involves phenoxy radical coupling at unsubstituted ortho-carbon sites followed by CO elimination to produce dichloro-9, 10-dihydrofulvalene intermediates. Naphthalene products are formed by loss of H and/or Cl atoms and rearrangement. The degree of chlorination of naphthalene and dibenzofuran products decreased as temperature increased, and, on average, the naphthalene congeners were less chlorinated than the dibenzofuran congeners. PCDF isomers were found to be weakly dependent to temperature, suggesting that phenoxy radical coupling is a low activation energy process. Different PCN isomers, on the other hand, are formed by alternative fusion routes from the same phenoxy radical coupling intermediate. PCN isomer distributions were found to be more temperature sensitive, with selectivity to particular isomers decreasing with increasing temperature.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.18 no.7
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• pp.803-810
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• 2009

Concentrations of dioxins, furans and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (DL-PCBs) were determined in crucian carp collected from eight locations mainly along the Nakdong River during 2004. Total dioxin concentrations which include concentrations of dioxins, furans and DL-PCBs ranged from 0.053 to 0.614 pg WHO-TEQ $g^{-1}$ wet wt. with a mean of $0.342{\pm}0.213$ pg WHO-TEQ $g^{-1}$ wet wt. The proportions of dioxins, furans and DL-PCBs to total dioxin TEQ were 4%, 12% and 84%, respectively. The results suggest that concentrations of dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls should be determined when total dioxin TEQ accumulated in freshwater fish is investigated.