Water Science and Technology Division, Environment Canada, 11 Innovation Boulevard, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, S7N3H5.
Rapid Commun Mass Spectrom. 2011 Jul 15;25(13):1899-909. doi: 10.1002/rcm.5062.
There is a growing need to develop analytical methods that can distinguish compounds found within industrially derived oil sands process water (OSPW) from those derived from natural weathering of oil sands deposits. This is a difficult challenge as possible leakage beyond tailings pond containments will probably be in the form of mixtures of water-soluble organics that may be similar to those leaching naturally into aquatic environments. We have evaluated the potential of negative ion electrospray ionization high-resolution Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FTICRMS) for comparing oil sands polar organics from tailing ponds, interceptor wells, groundwater, river and lake surface waters. Principal component analysis was performed for all species observed. which included the O(2) class (often assumed to be monocarbxoylic naphthenic acids) along with a wide range of other species including humic substances in the river and lake samples: O(n) where n=1-16; NO(n) and N(2)O(n) where n=1-13; and O(n)S and O(n)S(2) where n=1-10 and 1-8, respectively. A broad range of species was investigated because classical naphthenic acids can be a small fraction of the 'organics' detected in the polar fraction of OSPW, river water and groundwater. Aquatic toxicity and environmental chemistry are attributed to the total organics (not only the classical naphthenic acids). The distributions of the oil sands polar organics, particularly the sulfur-containing species, O(n)S and O(n)S(2), may have potential for distinguishing sources of OSPW. The ratios of species containing O(n) along with nitrogen-containing species: NO(n), and N(2)O(n), were useful for differentiating organic components derived from OSPW from those found in river and lake waters. Further application of the FTICRMS technique for a diverse range of OSPW of varying ages and composition, as well as the surrounding groundwater wells, may be critical in assessing whether leakage from industrial sources to natural waters is occurring.
现在越来越需要开发能够区分油砂加工废水（OSPW）中所含化合物与油砂矿床自然风化过程中形成的化合物的分析方法。这是一个艰巨的挑战，因为尾矿池泄漏的物质可能会以水溶性有机物的混合物形式存在，这些混合物可能与自然进入水生环境的物质相似。我们评估了负离子电喷雾电离高分辨傅里叶变换离子回旋共振质谱（FTICRMS）在比较尾矿池、截流井、地下水、河流和湖泊地表水的油砂极性有机物方面的潜力。对观察到的所有物种进行了主成分分析，其中包括 O(2)类（通常假定为单羧酸环烷酸）以及河流和湖泊样品中的各种其他物种，包括腐殖质：O(n)，其中 n=1-16；NO(n)和 N(2)O(n)，其中 n=1-13；O(n)S 和 O(n)S(2)，其中 n=1-10 和 1-8。研究了广泛的物种，因为在 OSPW、河水和地下水中极性馏分中检测到的“有机物”中，经典环烷酸可能只占一小部分。水生毒性和环境化学归因于总有机物（不仅是经典环烷酸）。油砂极性有机物，特别是含硫物种 O(n)S 和 O(n)S(2)的分布，可能具有区分 OSPW 来源的潜力。含 O(n)的物种与含氮物种（NO(n)和 N(2)O(n)）的比值对于区分源自 OSPW 的有机成分与在河流和湖泊水中发现的有机成分很有用。进一步应用 FTICRMS 技术对不同年龄和组成的 OSPW 以及周围的地下水井进行分析，可能对于评估工业源向天然水泄漏是否发生至关重要。
