Dh. Bennett et al., General formulation of characteristic travel distance for semivolatile organic chemicals in a multimedia environment, ENV SCI TEC, 32(24), 1998, pp. 4023-4030
Citations number
40
Categorie Soggetti
Environment/Ecology,"Environmental Engineering & Energy
A relatively simple but informative methodology is introduced to determine
the characteristic travel distance (CTD) for airborne semivolatile organic
pollutants. The CTD is derived from a moving Lagrangian cell (representing
the air) and a nonmoving compartment (representing soil or vegetation). The
methodology is expanded to a fugacity based steady-state multimedia enviro
nmental framework including air, vegetation, and soil. Chemical transformat
ions in air as well as partitioning to, and transformation in, vegetation a
nd soil are considered. Concentrations are determined by interactions among
the compartments and transformation rates. This method is most appropriate
for continuous, large nonpoint emissions (such as emissions from an urban
airshed). A case study for 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) revea
ls that the CTD is on the same order of magnitude as the typical distance b
etween urban centers. Vegetation is important for defining the regional tra
nsport processes for TCDD.