THE EFFECT OF THE QUALITY OF SOIL ORGANIC-MATTER ON SORPTION OF NAPHTHALENE

A set of soil samples varying in age, diagenesis, and kind and amount of organic matter were examined to study the influence of effective po larity and aromaticity of soil organic matter (SOM) on naphthalene sor ption using batch equilibration. Aromaticity of organic phases of the soils Was calculated from CPMAS C-13 NMR spectrum data and the soil ef fective polarity was calculated using the equation developed by Xing e t al. [12]. Concentration of naphthalene in solution was measured usin g liquid scintillation counting. The quality of SOM markedly influence d sorption of naphthalene. Old SOM in shale showed higher affinity for naphthalene than that in the surface, young soils. Sorption of naphth alene increased with increasing aromaticity and decreasing polarity. T he sorption coefficient (K-oc) of organic contaminants cannot be accur ately predicted from their K-ow without some consideration of SOM qual ity such as polarity and degree of aromaticity. (C) 1997 Elsevier Scie nce Ltd.