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ARS Home » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #120521
Title: PROCESS GOVERNING TRANSPORT OF ORGANIC SOLUTES

Author
item Schneider, Sharon
item GAN, J. - UC RIVERSIDE, CA
item Yates, Scott

Submitted to: Book Chapter
Publication Type: Book / Chapter
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/10/2001
Publication Date: 2/10/2002
Citation: Papiernik, S.K., Gan, J., Yates, S.R. 2002. Process governing transport of organic solutes. Book Chapter. In: Methods of Soil Analysis, Part 4. Physical Methods. J.H. Dane and G.C. Topp (eds), SSSA, Madison, WI. pp 1451-1475.

Interpretive Summary: Organic chemicals are common compounds of concern in soils. They include synthetic chemicals (such as pesticides and industrial pollutants) and naturally-occurring compounds (such as enzymes and decomposing plant and animal material). It is important to understand the transport of organic compounds in soil to effectively manage and/or predict their concentration in soil, and in the case of pollutants, to minimize their off-site transport. Organic chemicals distribute themselves in the soil- air-water system according to their affinity for each phase, and this distribution changes with the soil conditions. Organic chemicals are subject to biological and non-biological transformation in the soil. This manuscript presents a discussion of the processes that affect the distribution, mobility, and persistence of organic chemicals in soils. An overview of current methods used to measure the processes governing the transport of organic chemicals in soil is given.

Technical Abstract: The processes that affect the distribution, mobility and persistence of organic solutes in soils are integral to understanding their transport in soils. Particular considerations include mass transfer between the soil, air, and water phases and abiotic and biological transformation processes. These processes are interdependent and are affected by environmental conditions, soil properties, and solute properties. The complexity of these interacting processes further complicates their measurement and the interpretation of their projected impact on overall transport. This chapter is intended as a discussion of the primary factors that affect the transport of organic solutes in soils and an overview of the current methods used to obtain measures of the mass transfer and transformation processes, which are widely used as model inputs.