Abstract
This study investigated the pollution status of volatile organic sulfur compounds (VOSCs) and the factors influencing their spatial distribution in the Xi River in Shenyang, China. A method for simultaneous determination of 14 VOSCs that cause odor in water samples was developed by using purge and trap coupled with gas chromatography and a flame photometric detector. The results indicated that each target compound could be identified from 15 sampling sites, and the total concentration of 14 VOSCs ranged from 2.575 to 52.981 μg L−1. Dimethyl sulfide (DMS) was the most important contaminant with an average concentration of 4.029 μg L−1, a detection rate of 93.33% and a variation coefficient of 0.72. The VOSCs were primarily distributed in suburban and rural sections, and the suburban section was the worst in regard to pollution by VOSCs. Dimethyl trisulfide was primarily distributed in urban and suburban sections of the Xi River due to industrial emissions. Ethanethiol, DMS, and ethyl methyl sulfide, which are typical by-products of microbial anaerobic decomposition from domestic wastewater, were found in abundance in the suburban section. Diethyl sulfide, diethyl disulfide, methyl propyl disulfide, and 1-propyl disulfide representing agricultural nonpoint source pollution were mostly distributed in the rural section.
Determination of four volatile organic sulfur compounds by automated headspace technique coupled with gas chromatography–mass spectrometry
