SORPTION OF LINEAR ALCOHOL ETHOXYLATES ON SUSPENDED SEDIMENT

Sediment/water partition coefficients of eleven alcohol ethoxylates ho mologues and oligomers were determined. Sorption coefficients ranged b etween 40 and 7000 L/kg. A QSAR was applied to the sorption data with the numbers of carbon atoms in the alkyl chain and ethoxylate fragment s as the only descriptors. Sorption partition coefficients increased w ith increasing alkyl and ethoxylate chain lengths. The dominant influe nce of the alkyl chain suggests a hydrophobic sorption mechanism.