Constancy of sediment/water partition coefficients of hydrophobic organic pollutants

Technical Report · Tue Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1985

OSTI ID:5028885

Gschwend, P M; Wu, S C

If precautions are taken to eliminate or account for nonsettling (or nonfilterable) microparticles or organic macromolecules that remain in the aqueous phase during laboratory sorption tests, the observed partition coefficients (Kp or Koc) for a group of model hydrophobic organic compounds (PCBs) are found to remain constant over a wide range of solid-to-solution ratios. Further, the partition coefficients for either sorptive uptake or desorptive release are indistinguishable and confirm the reversible nature of hydrophobic sorption. It is proposed that descriptions of the 'speciation' of hydrophobic compounds in natural waters should include not only dissolved and sorbed-to-sediment fractions but also a component sorbed to nonsettling microparticles or organic macromolecules.

• Research Organization: Massachusetts Inst. of Tech., Cambridge, MA (USA). Ralph M. Parsons Lab.
• OSTI ID: 5028885
• Report Number(s): PB-90-106337/XAB
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
540320* -- Environment
Aquatic-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (1990-)
AROMATICS
CHLORINATED AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS
CHROMATOGRAPHY
DESORPTION
GAS CHROMATOGRAPHY
HALOGENATED AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS
INTERFACES
ORGANIC CHLORINE COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
PARTICLE RESUSPENSION
PARTITION
POLLUTION
SEDIMENT-WATER INTERFACES
SEDIMENTS
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SORPTION
SURFACE WATERS
WATER POLLUTION