applied sciences Review Sampling Rate of Polar Organic Chemical Integrative Sampler (POCIS): Influence Factors and Calibration Methods Liyang Wang 1,2 , Ruixia Liu 1,2,*, Xiaoling Liu 1 and Hongjie Gao 1 1 State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, China;
[email protected] (L.W.);
[email protected] (X.L.);
[email protected] (H.G.) 2 College of Water Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China * Correspondence:
[email protected]; Tel.: +86-10-8491-9726-601; Fax: +86-10-8491-7906 Received: 28 June 2020; Accepted: 7 August 2020; Published: 11 August 2020 Abstract: As a passive sampling device, the polar organic chemical integrative sampler (POCIS) has the characteristics of simple operation, safety, and reliability for assessing the occurrence and risk of persistent and emerging trace organic pollutants. The POCIS, allowing for the determination of time-weighted average (TWA) concentration of polar organic chemicals, exhibits good application prospects in aquatic environments. Before deploying the device in water, the sampling rate (Rs), which is a key parameter for characterizing pollutant enrichment, should be determined and calibrated accurately. However, the Rs values strongly depend on experimental hydrodynamic conditions. This paper provides an overview of the current situation of the POCIS for environmental monitoring of organic pollutants in an aquatic system. The principle and theory of the POCIS are outlined. In particular, the effect factors such as the ambient conditions, pollutant properties, and device features on the Rs are analyzed in detail from aspects of impact dependence and mechanisms.