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Generalized Model of Pentachlorophenol Distribution in Amended Soil–Water Systems
Author(s) -
Fall Cheikh,
Chavarie Claude,
Chaouki Jamal
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
water environment research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.356
H-Index - 73
eISSN - 1554-7531
pISSN - 1061-4303
DOI - 10.2175/106143001x138769
Subject(s) - pentachlorophenol , pulmonary surfactant , adsorption , soil water , chemistry , environmental chemistry , factorial experiment , soil contamination , soil science , environmental science , mathematics , organic chemistry , biochemistry , statistics
This paper describes laboratory experiments and subsequent statistical data analysis performed to reevaluate the overall effect of soil characteristics and liquid‐phase composition on the extent of pentachlorophenol (PCP) adsorption in complex soil–water systems. The PCP adsorption isotherms were first generated for eight soils of varying physical and chemical properties. Binding tests were then performed in the presence of different additives (surfactant, oil, etc.) and conditions (temperature and pH) based on a fractional factorial design. Statistical analysis of data showed strong interdependencies among several of the soil parameters, but confirmed that organic carbon content( f oc ) and pH of the soils were the best predictors of the adsorption constant of PCP ( K d ) for nonamended soil–water systems. It was determined that the effect on K d of a 0.2 unit decrease in soil pH was approximately the same as increasing f oc by 1%. From studying the effect of the amendments, two interactions (surfactant–pH and surfactant–oil) and two primary effects (surfactant and oil) have been detected. The effectiveness of the surfactant in decreasing K d varied depending on the pH and oil content of the soil. A generalized nonlinear model expressing K d as a function of pH, f oc , oil content of soil, and surfactant dose was developed for the range of conditions studied. The proposed model and modeling approach can be adapted to other types of contaminants or variables for specific natural and engineered systems.