The adsorption of benzene, toluene and ethylbenzene on soils near infinite dilution

The inverse gas chromatography method was used to study the adsorption phenomena of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) onto the soils in the Henryʹs law region. From the retention time obtained experimentally the partition coefficients and some thermodynamic parameters were estimated. It was found that the adsorption processes of VOCs onto larger soil particle were affected by intraparticle mass transfer.The pattern of the contribution of specific interactive forces was proven to play an important role on the adsorption processes. And the lower partition coefficient for ethylbenzene onto diluvium red soils was attributed to the sieving effect of soils against larger VOC molecules and the weaker specific interaction between sorbate and sorbent.