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Experiment Using Infrared Spectroscopy To Study The Effect Of Soil Characteristics Upon The Rate Of Trichloroethylene Desorption, Benjamin T. Kindt

Theses and Dissertations

This research investigated the influence of soil characteristics on the desorption of trichloroethylene (TCE). TCE is one of the most common contaminants at Superfund sites. Unfortunately, extraction of TCE from contaminated soils has been hindered by its slow and poorly understood desorption from soil particles. The rate and progress of desorption of TCE from seven types of soil with varying particle diameters and elemental compositions was measured using optical absorption techniques. Fitting the data to the Langmuir Isotherm functional form predicted in the literature yielded parameters for the desorption rate and total amount desorption each soil type. These parameters were …