Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Tributyltin Partitioning In Sediments: Effect Of Aging, Edward Burton, Ian Phillips, Darryl Hawker

Associate Professor Edward D Burton

The effect of aging on the solid/pore-water partitioning and desorption behaviour of tributyltin (TBT) in sediments was examined. Three sediment samples with contrasting physical and chemical properties were spiked with 10 mg/kg TBT and aged under sterile conditions for periods of time ranging from 1 to 84 days. Aging had a negligible effect on partitioning and desorption behaviour in a sandy sample with very low organic carbon content (0.2% w/w). In contrast, for samples with larger amounts of organic carbon (2.6% and 4.8% w/w), aging caused substantial increases in TBT sorption. For these samples, apparent distribution coefficients (KD,app) obtained from …