Detecting Organic Contaminants in the Unsaturated Zone Using Soil and Soil-Pore Water Samples

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Abstract
A lysimeter study was conducted to compare the effectiveness of soil core and soil-pore water samples in detecting the movement of organic constituents from land-treated industrial wastes. Lysimeters collected from the Bastrop (Udic Paleustalf), Padina (Grossarenic Paleustalf), and Weswood (Fluventic Ustochrept) soils were amended with a refinery separator sludge, a wood-preserving bottom sediment sludge, or a nonhalogenated solvent recovery sludge at rates of 50, 15, and 50 g kg−1, respectively. Soil-pore water samples from porous ceramic cups and soil cores were collected monthly at three depths in the lysimeters to monitor n-alkanes and polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons from the petroleum waste, phenols and cresols from the wood-preserving waste, and aromatic solvents from the solvent recovery waste. The organic carbon normalized soil sorption coefficient (Koc) may be useful for determining when soil-pore water or soil core samples will be most effective in detecting organic chemicals in the unsaturated zone of soils. N-alkanes with log Koc values < 4.4; PNAs < 3; chlorophenols (mono-, di-, tri-) < 4.0; nitrophenols (mono-, di-) < 2.3; and aromatics < 3.3, are best detected using soil-pore water sampling methods. N-alkanes with log Koc values between 4.8 and 6.2 are equally detected by either sampling method. Otherwise, all these classes of chemicals with log Koc values greater than those mentioned are best detected by obtaining soil cores.

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