PREDICTION OF THE MOVEMENT OF PERCHLOROETHYLENE IN SOIL COLUMNS

Many toxic volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are being released to the soil through improper waste disposal practices, industrial impoundments, landfills and accidental spills during transport and handling. Once released, the VOCs migrate toward the groundwater and cause contamination. One of the most frequently found VOCs in groundwater supplies is perchloroethylene (PCE). In this study an attempt was made to investigate the transport of PCE in two types of soil. PCE spills were created on soil columns in the laboratory and column breakthrough theory was used to analyze the data. Empirical equations were used to calibrate a contaminant transport model. The programs for this simple model have been prepared for use with IBM microcomputers and are capable to predicting the breakthrough time and concentration of PCE at various depths in the profile.