Phenolic compounds in water, suspended particulate matter and sediment from Weihe River in Northwest China

The distribution and ecological risks of 11 phenolic compounds were studied in Weihe River, Northwest China. The concentrations of phenolic compounds were determined by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography (UPLC). The total concentration of 11 phenolic compounds (∑PC₁₁) ranged from 0.06 to 14.12 μg/L with an average of 5.22 μg/L in water, from 0.92 to 34,885 μg/g with an average of 4,446 μg/g in suspended particulate matter (SPM), and from 3.54 to 34.09 μg/g with an average of 11.09 μg/g in sediment. For individual phenolic compound, the mean concentration of pentachlorophenol was the highest in water (2.65 μg/L) and in SPM (3,865 μg/g), while in sediment the mean concentration of 2,4,6-trichlorophenol was the highest (3.05 μg/g). The total concentration of 5 chlorophenols (∑CP₅) was significantly higher than that of 6 non-chlorophenols (∑NCP₆) in all three studied compartments. The phenolic compounds in Weihe River were at moderate levels in water and at high levels in sediment. The ecological risk assessment results indicated that phenolic compounds exhibited a high ecological risk in Weihe River water. In most sites, the distribution coefficient (Kd) (SPM) was much higher than Kd (sediment), which probably suggested fresh phenolic compounds input in Weihe River.