| Abstract: | A dynamic analysis of the diffusion and adsorption of water‐miscible volatile organic compounds (methanol and acetone) and water‐immiscible volatile organic compounds (benzene and toluene) in a soil pellet has been performed experimentally by using the single pellet moment technique. The experiments were conducted in a one‐sided single pellet adsorption cell at a temperature of 30 °C and varying relative humidities (0, 20, and 40 %). The results obtained with dry and wet systems showed that volatile organic tracers were adsorbed reversibly onto the soil. The overall adsorption equilibrium constants of both water‐miscible and water immiscible volatile organic compounds decreased with relative humidity. The sorption of water‐immiscible VOCs (benzene) onto soil was found to be much less than that of water‐miscible VOCs (methanol). The effective diffusivity of water‐immiscible volatile organic vapor (benzene) in the soil did not show a considerable change with relative humidity. In contrast, there was an appreciable change in the effective diffusivity for water‐miscible VOCs (methanol) with moisture. |
