Adsorption of model surfactants on subsoil samples

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are known to have adverse effects on human health and the environment. Thus, an effective risk assessment with concern on POP adsorption potential in the soil compartment is of high interest. The objective of our study was to develop a reliable, rapid and low-cost method which is able to predict the adsorption of two model POPs, 4-n-nonylphenol (NP) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), in soil samples based on spectral information (MIR) and partial least-square analyses (PLSR). For the model development 96 top- as well as subsoils were used. To characterize the composition of the samples, they were analyzed for particle size distribution, manganese and iron oxide concentration, organic carbon content (SOC), pH and the soil surface area. The KD-values for NP and PFOA were calculated in batch experiments.