REMOVAL OF SEMIVOLATILES FROM SOILS BY STEAM STRIPPING .4. EFFECTS OF ADSORPTION-DESORPTION KINETICS

A mathematical model is developed for in-situ steam stripping of semivolatile organic compounds (SVOCs) in which the adsorption isotherm of the SVOCs on the soil is nonlinear and in which desorption kinetics may be rate limiting. Severe tailing, similar to that found with diffusion-limited steam stripping, is readily produced by the model, even under situations in which adsorption-desorption kinetics are rapid. The results also indicate that field experiments alone are not likely to be able to distinguish between limitations imposed on the rate of steam-stripping remediation by diffusion kinetics and those imposed by desorption kinetics.