Competitive adsorption phenomena adsorption phenomena of petrochemicals — benzene, toluene, and xylene in hexane in fixed-beds of sands

Present-day massive exploration, extraction, transport, and use of petrochemicals pose a real threat of continuous or occasional accidental contamination of precious groundwater. However, the knowledge of the pathways and mechanisms involved in the transport, retention, and degradation of such chemicals once they are within the soil matrix is very limited. One of the important means of petrochemical retention in the soil is through the process of chemical adsorption onto the soil.