United States Environmental Protection Agency Robert S. Kerr Environmental Research Laboratory Ada OK 74820 Research and Development EPA/600/S6-88/001 Apr. 1988 &EPA Project Summary Treatment Potential for 56 EPA Listed Hazardous Chemicals in Soil Ronald C. Sims, William J. Doucette, Joan E. McLean, William J. Grenney, and R. Ryan Dupont The full report presents information on the quantitative evaluation of the treatment potential in soil for 56 substances identified as hazardous by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The 56 chemicals eval- uated were organized into four categor- ies of substances: (1) polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), (2) pesticides, (3) chlorinated hydrocar- bons, and (4) miscellaneous chemicals. Treatability screening studies were conducted to determine: (1) degrada- tion rates, (2) partition coefficients among air, water, soil, and oil phases, and (3) transformation characteristics. The quantitative information developed for a subset of the tested chemicals was input into two mathematical models specifically adapted to describe the treatment process. Results of fate and transport predictions of the models were compared with laboratory and literature results in order to evaluate the ability of the models to predict the behavior of the selected chemicals in a soil system. The experimental approach used in this study was designed to characterize degradation, immobilization, and transformation potentials for the haz- ardous substances evaluated. Biodeg- radation rates were determined exper- imentally by applying the chemical of interest to a soil microcosm and mon- itoring concentration over time. A plot of the disappearance of a constituent versus treatment time provided the following information: (1) reaction rate constant, and (2) half-life in soil (first order reaction assumed). Special methods were employed to determine biodegradation rates corrected for volatilization losses for the constitu- ents tested. Losses were also deter- mined in microbially inactive soil/ substance controls for a subset of substances to indicate contribution to degradation of abiotic (e.g., hydrolysis, oxidation, etc.) processes. Transport data were developed using calcula- tional procedures based on structure- activity relationships (SARs). To deter- mine partition coefficients among soil, air, oil, and water phases one set of studies was conducted using the radio- labeled compound 7,12-dimethylbenz- (a)anthracene (DMBA) in order to evaluate the potential for formation of biochemical intermediates during the biodegradation of DMBA, and to deter- mine the extent of incorporation of the chemical into soil organic matter. Treatability data generated in this investigation were entered into the Soil Transport and Fate Data Base deve- loped as part of a concurrent EPA- funded study. This Project Summary was devel- oped by EPA's Robert S. Kerr Environ- mental Research Laboratory. Ada. OK, to announce key findings of the research project that is fully docu- mented in a separate report of the same title (see Project Report ordering information at back). Introduction Biodegradation is believed to be the most important degradative mechanism for organic compounds in soil and is utilized in soil treatment systems for the ------- transformation of hazardous organic chemicals into innocuous products. The primary goal of biodegradation testing is to obtain an overall estimate of the rate at which a compound will biodegrade in a soil environment. For quantitative assessment of the rate of biodegradation of an individual constituent in a soil system, it is necessary to measure: (1) changes in parent compound concentra- tion with time, (2) loss of chemical due to volatilization, and (3) chemical lossdue to abiotic mechanism. In addition to the degradation of hazardous constituents, the immobilization (related to partitioning into solid, liquid, and gaseous phases) and the transformation of parent com- pounds to intermediate products within a soil system represent additional infor- mation requirements for assessing the potential for treatment of hazardous constituents in soil. The information generated in this study was input into a comprehensive Soil Transport and Fate Data Base that has been established to address the behavior of hazardous substances in soil systems. Specific quantitative informa- tion concerning persistence and/or partitioning for 56 substances was developed to provide EPA with an infor- mation base for use in making decisions concerning the treatability of the tested chemicals in soil. Specific objectives of this research project were to: 1. Determine degradation kinetic information corrected for volatilization. 2. Determine the extent of chemical incorporation into soil organic material, and the biological and chemical characterization of trans- formation products. 3. Determine the contribution of. abiotic loss to "apparent loss rates." 4. Determine partition coefficients among oil, water, air, and soil phases. 5. Input the data generated for deg- radation rates and partition coef- ficients for a subset of the sub- stance evaluated into the RITZ and VIP mathematical models to eval- uate the potential terrestrial trans- port and fate of the substances in soil systems. Research Approach Substances evaluated—Four catego- ries of 56 substances were evaluated: (1) polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), (2) pesticides, (3) chlorinated hydrocarbons, and (4) miscellaneous substances. All chemicals except toxaphene and tetraalkyllead (TAL) were purchased commercially, analytical grade. The toxaphene sample was collected from a soil site where spent toxaphene cattle dipping solution had been disposed. The TAL sample was provided by Standard Oil of California, and consisted of tetraal- kyllead (61.5%), ethylene dibromide (17.9%), and ethyfene dichloride (18.8%). Soils evaluated—Two soils were used in this study, a Kidman fine sandy loam (Haplustoll, Utah) and a McLaurin sandy loam soil (Paleudult, Mississippi). Neither soil had received application of any fertilizer or agricultural chemical in the last five years. Soil microorganism counts were typical for a soil with an active microbial population. Determination of degradation rates in soil—Degradation describes the chemi- cal and/or biological conversion of a parent compound to its various interme- diates and/or to inorganic end products such as carbon dioxide, water, nitrogen, phosphorous, sulfur, etc. In this study, the rate of degradation was experimen- tally determined by measuring the difference between the amount of com- pound initially added to a soil and that which was recovered after specified time intervals. Biological and chemical deg- radation components were differentiated using control soil samples treated with HgCU. This operational determination of degradation, however, did not distin- guish between complete degradation and transformation into intermediate products. Two experimental approaches were used to measure degradation rates for the chemicals evaluated in the study. In the first approach the observed loss of a compound due to volatilization was not distinguished from losses attributed to degradation rates. In the second approach, degradation rates were cor- rected for volatilization. The later approach involved independent meas- urement of losses due to volatilization thus allowing a corrected degradation rate for volatile chemicals to be determined. Partition Coefficient Determinations— Partition coefficients between aqueous and soil (Kd) oil (K0), and air (Kh) phases were estimated based on structure- activity relationships using the following methods. The partition coefficient of a chemical between soil and water (Kd) is given by: - Cs/Cw (D where Kd is the soil/water partition coefficient (unitless if Cs and Cw are in the same units), Cs is the concentration of chemical in the soil phase, and Cw is the concentration of chemical in the aqueous phase. Kd values for a soil can be estimated from Koc values if the organic fraction of the soil, f0c, is known and if it is assumed that hydrophobic interactions dominate the partitioning process: Kd - Kocfo (2) where Koc is the organic carbon normal- ized soil/water partiion coefficient. By assuming that partitioning between water and the organic fraction of soil is similar to partitioning between octanol and water, several correlation equations have been developed which relate Koc to octanol/water partition coefficients (Kow). The correlation equation used to calculate Koc for this project was: log Koc- 1.0 log Kow -0.21 (3) Experimental values of log Kow obtained from the literature were used when available. Log Kow values, estimated using the fragment approach of Hansch and Leo, were used when experimental values were not available. The second approach employed for the estimation of log Koc was based on molecular connectivity indexes (MCls). MCls are topological parameters that describe the degree of bonding or con- nectedness of the nonhydrogen atoms in a molecule. First-order MCls (1x), calcu- lated from the molecular structure of a compound, have been shown to be highly correlated with soil/water partition coefficients. First order MCls were calculated using a computer program written in Fortran for an Apple Macintosh computer. The KOC values were calculated from the first order MCI using the regression equation: log Koc = (0.53) 1x + 0.54 (4) The resultant Koc values were used along with percent organic carbon values to calculate Kd values of the Kidman and McLaurin soils using equation 2. ------- The pattern coefficient of a chemical between water and oil (Kd) is given by: — Co/Cw (5) where K0 is the oil/water partition coefficient (unitless if C0 and Cw are in the same units), C0 is the concentration of chemical in the oil phase, and Cw is the concentration of chemical in the water phase. Ko values were estimated using a correlation expression between K0 and Kow and are presented bjlow: log K0= 1.12 log Kow-0.324 (6) The partition coefficient of a chamical between air and water (Kh) can be written as: Kh - Ca/Cw (7) where Kh is the air/water partition coefficient, Ca is the concentration of chemical in the air phase, and Cw is the concentration of chemical in the aqueous phase. Kh can also be expressed as a dimen- sionless Henry's Lav*/ constant H/RT. Values of H can be calculated from the ratio of vapor pressure of a chemical to aqueous solubility if it is assumed that the liquid phase activity coefficients are constant up to the solubility I'mit. Uring experiment?! values for vapor pressure (Pv) and aqueous solubility (S) obtained from the literature, Kh was calculated using the following expressions: Kh = H/RT = (PV/S)/RT (8) where Pv is the vapor pressure (torr), S is aqueous solubility (moles/liter), R is the gas constant (62.3 liter torr/atm K) and T is temperature (25°C, 298°K). If literature values of Pv or S were unavailable for a particular compound but boiling point and melting point values were available, Pv values were estimated using the following expression: In P, = - (4.4 + In TB) [1 . 803(Ia _ 1)]_ 0.803 In ^ O) where Pv is in torr and TB, TM and T are the boiling point, melting point and an environmental temperature (°K), respectively. Mathematical Model for Soil-Waste Processes—The values developed for degradation and partitioning in the treatability studies for eight pesticides were used as input for the RITZ and VIP mathematical models. The Vadose Zone Interactive Processes (VIP) model is an enhanced version of the Regulatory and Investigative Treatment Zone Model (RITZ). The RITZ model was developed by the EPA, Robert S. Kerr Environmental Research Laboratory, for quantitatively integrating the processes related to degradation and transport of organic constituents in the unsaturated zone of a soil system. The «/IP model was developed at Utah State University as part of a previous EPA-funded study for use in evaluation of site-specific treat- ment potential for specific waste-soil mixtures. The major differences between the RITZ and VIP models are the numer- ical solution algorithms used and the option to use nonequilibrium kinetics in VIP. Transformation Studies—Transforma- tion studies using radiolat/eled 7,12- dimethylbenzanthracene (DMBA) were performed with the McLaurin sandy loam soil at low pH and the same soil adjusted to neutral pH. The distribution cf 14C02 between evolved CO2, soil extracts, and soil residue components was measured to construct a mass balance for DMBA. Mutagenicity of DMBA and metabolite fractions were measured with the Ames mutagenicity assay. Mutagenic potential of each test smaple was expressed as the mutagenic ratio (MR), i.e., ratio of number of colonies in the presence of a test sample to the number of colonies on a control growth plate in the absence of the test sample. Results and Discussion Degradation of PAH Constituents— Resultsforthe Kidman sandy loam (Table 1) generally indicated that PAH persist- ence increased with increasing molec- ular weight or compound ring number. The degradation of two-ring PAH com- pounds, naphthalene and 1 methyl- naphthalene, was extensive. Half lives for these PAH compounds were approx- imately two days. Comparative half lives for the degradation of three-ring PAHs, anthracene and phenanthrene, were 16 and 134 days respectively. Extensive degradation of these two- and three-ring PAH compounds is not unexpected since these compounds can be utilized as a sole source of carbon and energy for soil microorganisms. The four-, five-, and six- ring PAH compounds were somewhat recalcitrant, exhibiting half lives of greater than 200 days. DMBA, however, was extensively degraded with a half-life of 20 days. It has been demonstrated that natural soil microorganisms can degrade PAHs by co-metabolic processes. The relative stability of non-substituted high molec- ular weight PAH compounds in this study suggests that the resident microbial distribution in the soils used may not have included organisms capable of degrading these compounds or a suitable substrate was not present to stimulate co-metabolic decomposition. These results are consistent with , esults of other studies using complex wastes. However, higher molecular weight PAH compounds were observed in this study to be more resistant to degradation when present as pure compounds in soil than when present at the same concentrations in the same soil in complex waste mixtures. Degradation of Pesticides—Toxaphene waste residue exhibited no measurable degradation after 150 days of incubation at an initial soil concentration of 20 mg/ kg. The major mechanism for the deg- radation of toxaphene in soils occurs by reductive dechlorination. Fresh manure was applied to the soil waste mixture (2 percent manure, dry weight basis) to lower redox potential of the soil. Appli- cation of manure was not effective in stimulating degradation of toxaphene residue after the same period of incu- bation. Tcxaphene would be classified as persistent in these soils. Degradation information for pesticides obtained in laboratory treatability studies using the Kidman soil is presented in Table 2. Microbiological degradation of chlorinated pesticides has been reported to follow first-order kinetics. The first- order fit of data generated in this study for many of the chlorinated pesticides was not as good as would be expected if the apparent loss truly followed first- order kinetics. Degradation of organo- phosphorus pesticides could not be clearly characterized using a first-order reaction kinetic model. Use of first-order kinetics overestimated half-lives for these pesticides. Chlorinated Hydrocarbons and Ani- line—Volatilization corrected degrada- tion rates were determined for the six most volatile chlorinated hydrocarbons in the McLaurin soil (Table 3). Volatilization, as measured by cumulative mass of compound collected on Tenax over the ------- course of the experiments, was a signif- icant loss mechanism for all compounds studied, ranging from 17 percent for 1,1,2,2-Tetrachloroethane, to over 76 percent for 1,1,2-Trichloroethane. Partitior, coefficients—SAR-derived partition coefficients for both experimen- tal soils for chemicals in the four classes evaluated are summarized in Tables 4- 6. As expected, PAH and pesticides compound exhibited high K0 and Kd values, while the volatile class of com- pounds showed high Kh values. Partition coefficients estimated using SARs were in good agreement with literature coef- ficient values for the compounds addressed. Model applications—The RITZ and VIP models were used to simulate the behavior of eight pesticides in Kidman soil at a time period beyond the laboratory determined half-life. The organophos- phorus pesticides were predicted to degrade significantly in 91 days (96.2 percent for disulfoton to 78.8 percent for parathion). Approximately 70 percent of the applied chlorinated pesticides were predicted to degrade in this time period. When degradation was eliminated as an input parameter to the models, treatment was limited to the sorptive capacity of the soil for each pesticide. Under these test conditions, transport through volatilization or leaching from the zone of incorporation (ZOI) was not predicted by the models with the excep- tion of toxaphene. Detectable concentra- tions of toxaphene were predicted to be both volatilized and leached from the zone of incorporation in 91 days. 14C DMBA results—Parent 14C DMBA was extensively biodegraded with a half- 7able 1. Volatilization Corrected Degradation Kinetic Information for PAH Compounds Applied to Kidman Sandy Loam at -0.33 Bar Soil Moisture 95% Confidence Interval Lower Limit Compound Naphthalene 1 -Methylnaphthalene Anthracene Phenanthrene Fluoranthene Pyrene Chrysene Benz(a)anthra cene 7, 12-Dimethylbenz(a) anthracene Benzo(b)fluoranthene Benzofajpyrene Dibenzfa, h)anthracene Dibenzo(a,i)pyrene lndeno(1 ,2,3-cdjpyrene n 12 J2 15 12 15 15 15 15 12 15 15 15 15 15 Co fmg/kgl 101 102 210 902 883 686 100 107 18 39 33 12 11 8 k (day-') -0.3370 -0.4150 -0.0052 -0.0447 -0.0018 -0.0027 -0.0019 -0.0026 -0.0339 -0.0024 -0.0022 -0.0019 -0.0019 -0.0024 fl/2 (days) 2.1 1.7 134 16 377 260 371 261 20 294 309 361 371 288 r* 0.883 0.922 0.829 0.952 0.724 0.708 0.804 0.855 0.944 0.830 0.769 0.726 0.746 0.793 k (day-') -0.4190 -0.4960 -0.0065 -0.0514 -0.0025 -0.0036 -0.0024 -0.0033 -0.0394 -0.0030 -0.0029 -0.0026 -0.0025 -0.0031 fl/2 (days) 1.7 1.4 106 13 277 193 289 210 18 231 239 267 277 224 Upper Limit k (day-') -0.2550 -0.3350 -0.0038 -0.0380 -0.0012 -0.0017 -0.0013 -0.0020 -0.0284 -0.0018 -0.0015 -0.0013 -0.0013 -0.0017 tt/2 (days) 2.7 2.1 182 18 578 408 533 347 24 385 462 533 533 408 Table 2. Apparent Loss Kinetic Information for Pesticides from Kidman Soil 95% Confidence Interval Lower Limit Pesticide Pentachloronitrobenzene Disulfoton Methylparathion Phorate Parathion Endosulfan Aldrin Famphur Heptachlor DDT Linda ne Pronamide Dinoseb Aldicarb Warfarin n 18 18 18 17 18 18 18 22 18 18 15 17 17 22 22 C0 (mg/kg) 0.300 1.56 1.04 1.42 1.45 0.580 0.429 82.7 0.588 0.574 0.394 85.3 103.1 99.1 117.8 k (day') -0.0398 -0.036 -0.025 -0.022 -0.017 -0.016 -0.013 -0.013 -0.012 -0.015 -0.0113 -0.0072 -0.0067 -0.0018 a fvz (days) 17 19 28 32 41 43 53 53 58 60 61 96 103 385 -- r2 0.925 0.589 0.472 0.435 0.690 0.854 0.889 0.860 0.908 0.524 0.384 0.876 0.890 0.435 0.520 k (day-') -0.046 -0.052 -0.039 -0.036 -0.023 -0.02 -0.016 -0.015 -0.014 -0.0173 -0.0199 -0.0086 -O.008 -0.0027 -~ fl/2 (days) 15 13 18 19 30 35 43 46 50 40 35 81 87 257 -- Upper Limit k (day'') -0.034 -0.02 -0.01 1 -0.0082 -0.011 -0.013 -0.011 -0.01 -0.010 -0.0057 -0.0027 -0:0057 -0.0054 -0.0008 ~- fl/2 (days) 21 35 63 85 63 53 63 69 70 122 257 122 128 845 -~ "Slope (k) of first order regression line is not significantly different from zero, no degradation observed. 4 ------- Table 3. Volatilization Corrected Degradation Kinetic Information for Chlorinated Compounds Applied to McLaurin Sandy Loam at -0.33 BAR Coil Moisture Content 95% Confidence Interval Lower Limit Compound n Co (mg/kg) k (day-1) t-,,2 (days) r2 k (day-1) fl/2 (days) Upper Limit k ti/z (day'1) (days) Degradation Data Corrected for Volatilization, Unpoisoned Soil 1 , 1 -Dichloroethylene 1 ,1 ,1 - Trichloroethane 7,7,2- Trichloroethane 1,1 ,2,2- Tetrachloroethane 4 4 6 6 156.0 155.2 155 147 -16.34 - 9.60 -30.55 -53.42 0.04 0.07 0.02 0.01 0.788 0.936 0.599 0.588 -42.14 -17.21 -65.28 -115.54 0.02 0.04 0.01 0.01 -1.97 0.35 Degradation Data Corrected for Volatilization, HgCI Poisoned Soil Chloromethylmethyl ether 7,7 ,2 -Trichloroethane 1 ,2-Dibromo-3-chloro- propane 5 5 6 123.6 155 144.9 -55.68 -63.48 -70.34 0.01 0.02 0.01 0.558 0.536 0.516 -146.69 -172.10 -164.05 0.00 0.00 0.00 - 'Slope (k) of first order regression line is positive, no degradation observed. Table 4. Calculated Soil/Water (Ka), Oil/Water Coefficients for PAH Compounds (K0), and Air/Water (Kh) Partition Compound Acenaphthylene Benz(a)anthracene Benzo(a)pyrene Chrysene Dibenzo(a,h)anthracene ldeno(1,2,3-cd)pyrene 3-Methylcholanthrene Fluoranthene 1 -Methylnaphthalene Naphthalene Phenanthrene Pyrene Benzo(b)fluoramhene 7,12-Dimethylbenz(ajanthracene Anthracene LogKa (McLaurin) 1.72 3.24 3.67 3.24 3.60 5.27 4.73 2.97 1.52 1.01 2.11 2.96 4.19 3.61 2.10 LogKa (Kidman) 1.38 2.90 3.33 2.90 3.26 4.93 4.38 2.62 1.18 0.67 1.76 2.61 3.86 3.27 1.75 LogK0 4.23 5.95 6.43 5.95 6.35 8.24 7.63 5.64 4.00 3.42 4.66 5.63 7.02 6.36 4.65 LogKh -7.22 -5.36 -2.75 -2.4! -5.52 -7.62 — -3.60 — -1.97 -2.30 -4.27 -2.91 — -1.59 life of 17 days. Half-life was determined from the decrease of the DMBA 14C fraction over time, which was corrected for abiotic loss and volatilization. These results are consistent with results obtained for a non-radiolabeled DMBA degradation study, which gave biodeg- radation half-lives of lives of 20 to 28 days. Abiotic loss of 14C DMBA from soil samples poisoned by 2% HgClj was statistically not significant (p=0.05). 14C DMBA volatilization was not detected during the 28-day soil incubation period. The decrease in the parent PAH 14C was accompanied by an increase in metabolite 14C fraction (Table 7). Incor- poration of 14C DMBA into a nonextrac- table soil residue 14C increased from 12 to 17%, however, the increase was not statistically significant (p=0.05). Evolu- tion of 14COz was not detected during the 28 days of incubation. These results do not demonstrate that the parent com- pound was not metabolized to C02 since 14C DMBA used was radiolabeled only at the 12 position carbon. In order to detect 14C02, the benzene ring which contained the carbon-12 was required to be mineralized to COz. Several metabolic intermediate prod- ducts of DMBA biodegradation were characterized by GC/MS analysis. These included 10-hydroxy-, 4-hydroxy-, and 5- hydroxy-DMBA, respectively. HPLC ret- ention time of these metabolites were identical with those given by reference standards. HPLC elution profile from incubation of 14C DMBA revealed a complex mixture of metabolic products. The elution profile further showed formation of highly polar metabolic products eluting prior to HPLC retention time of DMBA. Results from Ames assay testing for DMBA metabolites indicated that the highly polar metabolic fraction was mutagenically inactive suggesting that these metabolites may be the detoxified conjugation products of soil microbial enzymes. Moderate and nonpolar metab- olite fractions induced a positive response. The mutagenic potential of these metabolite fractions, however, decreased with an increase in soil incubation time. This detoxication poten- tial of DMBA may be important for engineering management and control of hazardous wastes containing this PAH compound since toxicity reduction as a function of incubation time in soil can be used to assess the success of treatment. ------- Table 5. Calculated Soil/Water (Ka), Oil/Water (K0). and Coefficients for 22 Pesticides LogKa Compound (McLaurin) Aldrin 0.65 Cacodylic A cid -2.3 1 Chlordane, technical 0.44 DDT 1.14 Dieldrin 0.56 Dinoseb Disulfoton -2.31 Endosulfan 1.21 Heptachlor 1.55 Alpha Lindane 1.46 Methyl parathion 0.65 Parathion 1.06 Phorate 0.58 Toxaphene 0.96 Warfarin 0.19 Aldicarb -1.61 LogKa (Kidman) 0.31 -2.65 0.10 0.79 0.22 ~™ -2.65 0.56 1.21 1.12 0.31 0.72 0.24 0.62 -0.15 -1.95 Air/Water (Kh) LogK0 0.62 -0.32 2.79 3.57 2.92 2.25 -0.32 3.65 4.04 3.94 3.02 3.48 2.94 3.37 2.49 0.46 Partition LogKh -1.93 — -2.40 -2.44 -4.69 -4.13 -2.44 -0.97 -4.47 -5.56 -4.04 -3.40 -5.13 __ -6.59 Table 6. Calculated Soil/Water (KA). Oil/Water (K0J. and Air/Water (Kh) Partition Coefficients for Chlorinated Hydrocarbons and Miscellaneous Compounds LogKa Compound (McLaurin) Chlorinated Hydrocarbons Bis-fchloromethy/lether -2.68 Chloromethylmethyl ether -1.41 1 .2 -Dibromo-3 -chloropropane Dichlorodifluoromethane -0. 1 7 1.1 -Dich/oroethy/ene 1 ,1 ,1 -Trichloroethane 0.13 1,1,2,2-Tetrachloroethane 2.63 1 .1 ,2-Trichloroethane -0.16 1 ,2,2-Trichlorotrifluoroethane -0. 66 Hexachlorocyclopentadiene 2.68 4,4 -Methylene-bis- (2-chloroaniline) 0.96 1 ,2,4-Trichlorobenzene 1.63 Miscellaneous Compounds Aniline 1.44 Mitomycin C 8.95 Pyridine 1.04 Tetraethyllead 2.28 Uracil mustard 4.82 LogKt (Kidman) -3.02 -1.75 -0.51 0.47 2.29 -0.50 -1.01 2.34 0.62 1.29 1.09 8.61 0.70 1.94 4.47 LogKo -0.75 0.69 2.09 2.14 5.26 2.10 1.53 5.31 3.37 4.13 2.34 2.34 2.13 2.79 4.13 LogK* — — 2.01 -0.79 -1.81 -1.51 — -1.37 — -0.77 — — — — — Conclusions The importance of volatilization and abiotic-loss processes in influencing "apparent loss rates" of substances from soil systems depends upon the class of substances. These processes are insig- nificant for the majority of PAH com- pounds. Biodegradation appears to be the major process for loss of PAHs from soil systems. Abiotic loss may be an impor- tant process for certain pesticides. Volatilization appears to be the major process influencing loss rates of volatile substances from soil systems. Transformation products of mutagenic parent substances may exhibit muta- genic characteristics, but may decrease in mutagenic potential with incubation time in soil. A decrease in the concen- tration of parent substance in a soil extract solution that is not accompanied by an increase in carbon dioxide evolu- tion may not indicate irreversible soil incorporation of applied waste. Rather, intermediate biochemical transformation products may occur that exhibit changing characteristics with time of incubation in the soil. Mercuric chloride is effective for reducing soil bacteria and fungi to levels at least as low as 1 0 organisms per gram of soil (dry-weight basis). However, the use of HgCI2 may greatly affect the recovery of certain compounds from soil. The use of HgCI2 sterile controls for biodegradation studies should be further examined. It is possible to develop transport information for mathematical models by calculating partition coefficients based on structure-activity relationships for substances that are difficult to evaluate experimentally. Under environmental and loading rate conditions representative of well designed and well managed soil treat- ment systems, very little leaching or air emissions of either pesticides or PAH compounds was predicted by the RITZ or VIP models using soil fate and transport input data generated in laboratory exper- iments or in literature citations. ------- Table 7. Transformations ofC4C) 7,12-Dimethylbeni(a)anthracene by McLaurin Sandy Loam " Soif 14C appearing in each fraction (%) Soil Extract Time (days) 0 14 28 7,12-Dimethylbenz(a)- anthracene (parent compound) 62 (69) 26 20 (60) Metabolites 4 (6) 43 53 (1 1) Soil Residue 12 (13) 16 17 (16) CO2 0(0) 0 0(0) Total 78 (88) 85 90 (87) 'Poisoned (control) data in parentheses. Ronald C. Sims. W. J. Doucette. J. E. McLean, W. J. Grenney. andR. R, Dupont are with Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322. John E. Matthews is the EPA Project Officer (see below). The complete report, entitled "Treatment of Potential for 56 EPA Listed Hazardous Chemicals in Soil," (Order No. PB 88-174 446/AS; Cost: $19.95, subject to change) will be available only from: National Technical Information Service 5285 Port Royal Road Springfield, VA 22161 Telephone: 703-487-4650 The EPA Project Officer can be contacted at: Roberts. Kerr Environmental Research Laboratory U.S. Environmental Protection Agency P.O. Box 1198 Ada, OK 74820 t n-nicDuiicuruoiuTiunnccu-E. ------- United States Center for Environmental Research BULK RATE Environmental Protection Information POSTAGE & FEES PAII Agency Cincinnati OH 45268 PERMIT No G-35 Official Business Penalty for Private Use $300 EPA/600/S6-88/001 0000329 PS ------- |