A quantitative analysis of the dynamics of the sorption of hydrophobic organic chemicals to suspended sediments

Journal Article · Mon Jul 01 04:00:00 EDT 1996 · Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1002/etc.5620150704· OSTI ID:268009

Lick, W; Rapaka, V ^[1]

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1. Univ. of California, Santa Barbara, CA (United States). Dept. of Mechanical and Environmental Engineering

Recent long-term adsorption and desorption experiments with hexachlorobenzene and three polychlorinated biphenyl congeners have clearly demonstrated that the rates of adsorption and desorption for hydrophobic organic chemicals to natural suspended sediments can be relatively slow and therefore that the assumption of chemical equilibrium may not be valid in many realistic situations. These experiments have also led to a better understanding of the adsorption, desorption, and partitioning processes. Based on this experimental work, a theoretical model of the adsorption, desorption, and partitioning of hydrophobic organic chemicals to suspended sediments has been developed. In the present article, a description of this model is given, and results of numerical calculations using this model are compared with experimental results. In the modeling, the emphasis is on the dynamics of sorption. The model is relatively simple, with retarded chemical diffusion within the particle/floc as the basic transport process. A complicating factor is the variations in the particle/floc size and density distributions; these distributions are dependent on local conditions and may also vary with time. In the modeling, they were chosen on the basis of measurements taken during the sorption experiments. In general, good agreement between the numerical and experimental results was obtained for all cases considered.

• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• OSTI ID: 268009
• Journal Information: Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, Journal Name: Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry Journal Issue: 7 Vol. 15; ISSN 0730-7268; ISSN ETOCDK
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
CHLORINATED AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
POLYCHLORINATED BIPHENYLS
SEDIMENTS
SORPTION
WATER POLLUTION