The fate and persistence of polychlorinated biphenyls in soil

Abstract

The fate and persistence of PCBs 28, 52, 101, 138, and 180 artificially introduced into three soils was studied under a variety of field conditions for up to 415 d following initial contamination. A relationship was detected between ln K_oa (octanol/air partition coefficient) and the experimentally observed first-order loss rate constant that was statistically significant at at least the 90% level in all but one instance. In nearly all experiments, PCB persistence was greater in soils of higher organic carbon content. Soil temperature and moisture content were also indicated as important influences on persistence. Significantly longer half-lives were observed in a soil in which initial PCB contamination had occurred ca. 1 year previously. A mass balance showed the most likely mechanism of loss to be volatilisation. Losses attributable to aerobic biodegradation could not be ruled out, but those due to leaching, uptake by biota, and soil erosion were demonstrated to be negligible. First-order rate constants (k_v) were determined for volatilisation of the same congeners from soil under a variety of controlled laboratory scenarios. Multiple linear regression analysis (MLRA) showed the most important influences on k_v to be ln K_oa (adjusted for soil temperature) and soil organic carbon content. Limited evidence was observed for a relationship between k_v and soil moisture content, but not water flux. When tested against field measurements, the MLRA-derived relationship between k_v and independent variables predicted to within a factor of 2.5, the persistence of PCBs 28, 52, and 101. However, it did not account for the influence of the age of contaminant association with the soil, soil moisture content or water flux, and failed to function for soils of high organic content, or where ln K_oa exceeds ca. 23.

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