Dissolved PCB congener distribution in generator column solutions

A generator column technique previously used to study the solubility of sparingly soluble compounds, has been employed in this study to prepare high throughput aqueous PCB solutions for use in treatability studies. In the present study, Aroclor 1242 mixture was used to load the generator column. The total PCB concentration and the PCB congener distribution pattern in the effluent changed with time, with lower chlorinated congeners eluting faster than the higher chlorinated ones. Collection of over 300 bed volumes of effluent from two such generator columns provided PCB solutions which showed 75-90% similarity to the original Aroclor 1242 congener distribution. In this paper, the observed distribution of PCB congeners in the generator column effluent with time is presented and discussed. A reasonable prediction of effluent PCB concentration from the generator column was possible using Raoult's Law for ideal solutions.