Simple laboratory experiments simulating a spill of a volatile liquid
on sands were conducted. Hexane was spilled onto both initially dry sa
nd and water-wetted sand at nearfield capacity. The experimented condi
tions approximated the assumptions of a theory developed by Thibodeaux
(1979). Predictions of a modification of this model were generally in
good agreement at early times with data on the rate of volatilization
. The modified model can be used to estimate air emissions of a volati
le liquid spilled on sands.