Sorption of Lipophilic Organic Compounds to Wood and Implications for Their Environmental Fate

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Abstract
The sorption from water to wood (KWood) of 10 organic chemicals (log KOW, 1.48−6.20) was experimentally determined for oak (Quercus robur) and basket willow (Salix viminalis). Linear regression yielded log KWood = −0.27 (± 0.25) + 0.632 (± 0.063)log KOW for oak (r = 0.90, n = 27) and log KWood = −0.28 (± 0.40) + 0.668 (± 0.103)log KOW for willow (r = 0.79, n = 27). According to an equilibrium-partitioning model, wood should be an important storage compartment for lipophilic environmental chemicals, but this is contrary to analytical results. Diffusive uptake from air into wood was estimated to be a relevant transport process only for chemicals with a high KAW. Uptake of chemicals from soil via xylem into stem was simulated with a dynamic one-compartment model. This pathway seems to be important for chemicals with low and intermediate lipophilicity. In large trees, the chemicals are retained for a long time. If metabolism inside the stem occurs, wood can serve as a “safe sink” for environmental chemicals. This might be of use in phytoremediation.