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

TRAPP STEFAN; MIGLIORANZA KARINA SILVIA BEATRIZ; MOSBAEK HANS

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

American Chemical Society

Año: 2001 vol. 35 p. 1561 - 1566

0013-936X

The sorption from water to wood (KWood) of 10 organic chemicals (logKOW, 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 Word 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.