More Realistic Soil Cleanup Standards with Dual-Equilibrium Desorption

The desorption of contaminants from soils/sediments is one of the most important processes controlling contaminant transport and environmental risks. None of the currently adopted desorption models can accurately quantify desorption at relatively low concentrations; these models often overestimate the desorption and thus the risks of hydrophobic organic chemicals, such as benzene and chlorinated solvents. In reality, desorption is generally found to be biphasic, with two soil-phase compartments. A new dual-equilibrium desorption (DED) model has been developed to account for the biphasic desorption. This model has been tested using a wide range of laboratory and field data and has been used to explain key observations related to underground storage tank plumes. The DED model relates the amount of a chemical sorbed to the aqueous concentration, with simple parameters including octanol-water partition coefficient, solubility, and fractional organic carbon; thus, it is the only biphasic model, to date, that is based on readily available parameters. The DED model can be easily incorporated into standard risk and transport models. According to this model, many regulatory standards of soils and sediments could be increased without increasing the risks.