Abstract
Sediment sorption and desorption processes are important in determining the movement and fate of persistent organic compounds in aquatic systems. Batch experiments show that after an initial one week uptake period, continual release of Aroclor 1242 from sediment occurs over a six-month period. These observations suggest that a two-stage kinetic model, rather than the conventional equilibrium model, is more appropriate for representing sediment uptake and release processes. Additional batch studies were used to measure short- and long-term rate coefficients for these processes. Simulation studies, with multiple sediment and contaminant inputs, indicate that over a 16-day period a kinetic model better matches the experimental data than do three other equilibrium-based sorption/desorption models. Further long-term simulations demonstrate that the kinetic model, rather than equilibrium models, more adequately account for the persistence of organic contaminants in sediment.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 249-269 |
Number of pages | 21 |
Journal | Journal of Contaminant Hydrology |
Volume | 2 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jul 1988 |
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Environmental Chemistry
- Water Science and Technology