ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN POLYCHLORINATED-BIPHENYLS AND SUSPENDED-SOLIDS IN NATURAL-WATERS - AN EVALUATION OF THE UPTAKE RATE BY PARTICLES

The study of the partitioning of PCBs and similar hydrophobic organic chemicals between solid and aqueous phases, such as suspended particle s and the water column, has normally been approached from an equilibri um thermodynamic point of view. The kinetics of the uptake process hav e received some study but this has been limited. This paper presents a rationale for the importance of HOC uptake kinetics. A simple kinetic model is developed and applied to PCB in suspended particles and surf ace waters. It describes, in practical terms, many of the reported beh avioral characteristics of K(d), the partition coefficient, observed b oth in the laboratory and in the field.