Estimation of pollutant partition in sandy soils with different water contents

Environ Monit Assess. 2010 Dec;171(1-4):171-80. doi: 10.1007/s10661-009-1269-y. Epub 2010 Jan 13.

Abstract

The objectives of this work were: (1) to identify an isotherm model to relate the contaminant contents in the gas phase with those in the solid and non-aqueous liquid phases; (2) to develop a methodology for the estimation of the contaminant distribution in the different phases of the soil; and (3) to evaluate the influence of soil water content on the contaminant distribution in soil. For sandy soils with negligible contents of clay and natural organic matter, contaminated with benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene, trichloroethylene (TCE), and perchloroethylene (PCE), it was concluded that: (1) Freundlich's model showed to be adequate to relate the contaminant contents in the gas phase with those in the solid and non-aqueous liquid phases; (2) the distribution of the contaminants in the different phases present in the soil could be estimated with differences lower than 10% for 83% of the cases; and (3) an increase of the soil water content led to a decrease of the amount of contaminant in the solid and non-aqueous liquid phases, increasing the amount in the other phases.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Aluminum Silicates
  • Clay
  • Silicon Dioxide*
  • Soil / chemistry*
  • Soil Pollutants / analysis*
  • Solvents / analysis
  • Water*

Substances

  • Aluminum Silicates
  • Soil
  • Soil Pollutants
  • Solvents
  • Water
  • Silicon Dioxide
  • Clay