Amines in surface waters: A survey of Norwegian lakes

Abstract

Amine-based CO2 capture is one of the most promising technologies for emissions reductions from stack gases. In the summer of 2012, we measured the concentrations of amines in 21 Norwegian lakes with the aim of assessing the prevalence of amines in Norwegian lakes and identifying the main factors affecting concentrations of these compounds. Dimethylamine (DMA) was the most prevalent amine (2 869–22 247 ng/L). Methylamine (MA) and monoethanolamine (MEA) concentrations were also high, ranging from 328–4 946 ng/L and 686–4 435 ng/L respectively. Intermediate concentrations were observed for piperazine (PIP; 454–842 ng/L) and diethylamine (DEA; <50–960 ng/L), while ethylamine (EA) and 2-amino-2-methyl-propanol (AMP) were not detected in any of the lakes. MEA concentrations were highest in eutrophic lakes and were most closely related to phytoplankton biomass (as indicated by chlorophyll a), suggesting that in lake production of MEA by primary producers may be an important source of this compound. Meanwhile, MA and DMA concentrations were highest in humic lakes (high TOC and low pH) where high terrestrial inputs of organic matter may be an important source of these amines. The high natural levels of several amines in Norwegian lakes have important implications for assessing the potential influence of emissions from amine-based CO2 capture facilities.