Determination of resin acids by gas chromatography and high-performance liquid chromatography in paper mill effluent, river waters and sediments from the upper Derwent Estuary, Tasmania

Resin acids in effluent from a paper mill situated on the upper Derwent Estuary near Hobart, Tasmania (Australia) were determined by HPLC analysis of their 7-methoxycoumarin-4-yl and 7-acetoxycoumarin-4-yl methyl esters. Total concentrations ranged from 1.0 to 4.8 mg 1 −1 with a mean of 2.7 mg 1 −1 during 1991–1992. Capillary GC-flame ionization detection and GC-MS analyses of organic constituents in river waters collected in April 1992 confirmed the presence of resin acids derived from the paper mill effluent, but the concentrations were highly variable and strongly influenced by freshwater flow and tidal movements. At a site just 500 m downstream of the effluent discharge, concentrations ranged from