Question

1 gallon of benzene having a density of 0.88 g/mL is spilled in 200 feet by 150 foot lake having an average depth of 6 feet. What is the concentration of benzene in this contaminated lake?

Answer 1

Answer:

The concentration of benzene in this contaminated lake would be 653549ng/L.

Explanation:

The concentration C of a contaminant over a body of water of volume V can be obtained as:

C=Mass contaminant / V

In this case, the volume of the body of water:

$V=200ft\cdot150ft\cdot6ft=5097.033m^3$

The mass of the contaminant (Benzene):

$m=\delta V_{ben}=0.88\frac{g}{ml} 1gal(us)=3.3311kg$

Therefore:

$C=\frac{m_{ben}}{V_{lake}}=6.53549\cdot10^{-4}kg/m^3=653549ng/l$