title: Desorption kinetics of naphthalene from sediment particles: batch and stepwise desorption approach.
abstract: We investigated three major parameters in simulating desorption behaviours: the pre-contamination period, dilution by clean water mass (dilution ratio) and the length of the time interval between dilutions, in both batch and stepwise desorption experiments using particles pre-contaminated with a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, naphthalene (NAPH). We found that the dilution ratio plays a major role in batch desorption, whereas the pre-contamination period plays a major role in stepwise desorption (SD). In addition, the diffusion process was found to be the rate-determining step for our study of SD kinetics. Based on the results of our batch experiments, we were able to derive a mathematical expression capable of correlating the SD rate constant with the length of time interval between dilutions. This expression can be applied in numerical modelling of various naturally occurring processes such as the dispersion and dilution of a heavily contaminated water mass in a marine environment due to an oil spill incident.
authors.affiliation: Department of Marine Environment and Engineering, National Sun Yat-sen University, 70 Lien-hai Road, Kaohsiung 804, Taiwan, ROC. d9054810@student.nsysu.edu.tw
authors.forename: P-C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Hsieh
authors.forename: C-L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: A-A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Chiu
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D003198:Computer Simulation; D019015:Geologic Sediments; D007700:Kinetics; D015233:Models, Statistical; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D009281:Naphthalenes / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D010316:Particle Size; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons / Q000737:chemistry; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D013997:Time Factors; D014872:Water Movements; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000302:isolation & purification; D018508:Water Purification / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D009281:Naphthalenes; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons; D012989:Soil Pollutants; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; C031721:naphthalene