Transport and lipid solubility of hydrophobic organic compounds using semipermeable membranes: Influence of dissolved organic matter and solution chemistry

Association of hydrophobic organic compounds with dissolved organic matter in natural water systems may impact a contaminant's ability to transport across synthetic membranes. Importantly, these interactions can create interferences when monitoring ambient levels of contaminants with a potential for biouptake. The influence of water-quality matrix conditions on the transport and lipid uptake of five hydrophobic organic compounds of environmental concern was investigated by partnering semipermeable membranes with a model lipid phase in a batch dialysis system. Contaminants fell into two characteristic groups based on the response of transport and lipid uptake to exposure conditions: one for which behavior was largely independent of water-quality matrix conditions and one for which alterations to the bulk aqueous phase were impactful. For short exposure periods, the abiotic technique demonstrated the potential to qualitatively replicate the root-to-shoot translocation behavior of non-ionized hydrophobic organic compounds in plant systems.