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Site-Specific Sorption Values for Mixtures of Volatile and Semivolatile Organic Compounds in Sandy Soils

Dep. of Civil Engineering, North Carolina A&T State Univ., Greensboro, NC 27411;

Tom G. Smith and Daniel L. Pardieck^*

Ciba Specialty Chemicals Corporation, P.O. Box 71, Oak Ridge Parkway, Toms River, NJ 08754.

^* Corresponding author (dan.pardieck{at}cibasc.com).

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this work was to determine site-specific partition coefficients, K_d values, for the sorption and desorption of a mixture of 11 volatile and semivolatile organic compounds (VOC and SVOC) in subsurface, low organic soils (average site _OC = 0.00019) and ground water from the Toms River superfund site in southern New Jersey. Although literature K_d values are available for some of these compounds, many of the previously published values were measured with single compounds instead of a mixture of compounds. K_d values were determined via column desorption studies using soils with preexisting contamination and uncontaminated site ground water via retardation factors and via batch sorption studies with contaminated ground water and uncontaminated soils. Partition coefficients estimated from the batch and column studies were usually not different across VOC/SVOC and were usually not related to solubility characteristics of the target compounds. K_d values derived from the column experiments were usually an order of magnitude smaller than those estimated from the batch studies. Estimates of K_d values through log K_OW or water solubility relationships were usually greater than the experimentally derived K_d values, especially for those compounds with log K_OW values greater than 3. Predicted K_d values from the partition models were similar to calculated values for the less hydrophobic compounds (Log K_OW < 3). In addition, K_d values determined from batch and column studies were usually smaller than literature values. These comparisons suggest that determining site-specific partition coefficients is necessary for hydrophobic compounds in soils or sediments that have low organic carbon contents.