Sorption of linear alcohol ethoxylates on suspended sediment

Sediment/water partition coefficients of eleven alcohol ethoxylates homologues and oligomers were determined. Sorption coefficients ranged between 40 and 7000 L/kg. A QSAR was applied to the sorption data with the numbers of carbon atoms in the alkyl chain and ethoxylate fragments as the only descriptors. Sorption partition coefficients increased with increasing alkyl and ethoxylate chain lengths. The dominant influence of the alkyl chain suggests a hydrophobic sorption mechanism.