Chlorinated paraffins (CPs) are a class of industrial chemicals produced through a radical chlorination of alkane mixtures. CPs are used as additives, secondary plasticizers and flame retardants due to their physico-chemical properties. Global production of CPs increased from 600 000 t/a in 2007 to &gt; 1 million t/a in 2009. CPs are categorized as short chain (SCCPs, C10-13), medium chain (MCCPs, C14-17), and long-chain chlorinated paraffins (LCCPs, C18-30). SCCPs have been recognized as Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) by the Stockholm Convention because of their great persistence in the environment, bioaccumulation, potentially carcinogenic properties, long-range transport, and high toxicity to aquatic organisms. Recently, research on SCCPs have mainly focused on their environmental distribution and human exposure. However, it is important to study the biotransformation of SCCPs to elucidate their environmental fates. Plants can biotransform the chlorodecanes through dechlorination and chlorine rearrangement pathways. In addition, plants can emit substantial amounts of phytogenic volatile compounds (PVOCs) (up to 10% of their assimilated carbon). We hypothesize that airborne chlorodecanes can be transformed by reactive PVOCs or radicals. To test this hypothesis, we devised an experiment to react chlorodecanes in the presence of PVOCs from whole pumpkin seedlings. Reaction system I (with PVOCs of pumpkin seedlings and 1,1,1,3,8,10,10,10-octachlorodecane) and reaction system II (with 1,1,1,3,8,10,10,10-octachlorodecane but in the absence of PVOCs from pumpkin seedlings) were run simultaneously. Transformation of 1,1,1,3,8,10,10,10-octachlorodecane in the air phase was observed, and it was promoted by PVOCs from pumpkin seedlings. Several transformation products were detected in both reaction systems. However, the congener profiles of transformation products in reaction system I and reaction system II were quite different. These findings provide new insight into potential transformation and fate pathways of chlorodecanes/SCCPs in the environment.

Transformation of 1,1,1,3,8,10,10,10-octachlorodecane in air phase: promoted by phytogenic volatile organic compounds (PVOCs) of pumpkin seedlings

2019 Spring National Meeting

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