| The emission of organic compounds from shale oil wastewaters was investigated using gas chromatography and laboratory simulations of various proposed wastewater handling, treatment, and disposal options. The air above wastewater samples held in closed containers contained small amounts of organic compounds (ng/mL), while three orders of magnitude greater quantities were purged from the wastewaters. Six wastewaters purged with air emitted similar distributions of the same compounds, with aromatic nitrogen-containing compounds (primarily alkylpyridine isomers) accounting for 40-76% of the total emitted organics from a single wastewater, ketones for 3-13%, phenols for 2-11%, and nitrile for 2-6%. Vaporized organic compounds accounted for 2-5% of the dissolved organic carbon for the three retort wastewaters, compared with 23-52% of the three gas-condensate wastewaters. Air samples collected in and near a pilot shale oil wastewater treatment facility contained the same distinctive compound classes as observed during purge and trap analysis of the wastewaters.; Henry's Law constants measured for representatives of each major compound class emitted from the wastewaters had values of 10('-4) to 10('-5) atm m('3) mol('-1), and showed little dependence on the sample matrix. The use of these constants and of published models resulted in estimated emission half-lives from wastewater holding ponds on the order of a few days for a pond 1 m in depth.; Wastewaters used to cool hot spent shale emit the same classes and similar quantities of organic species as those exposed to large amounts of air at room temperature.; None of the major organic species emitted from shale oil wastewaters were detected in air samples collected in and near the oil shale region (except in those collected adjacent to a pilot wastewater treatment plant). These results indicate that such species may be useful in tracing polluted air masses resulting from shale oil production, and distinguishing such air masses from those emitted by other sources. |
