Soil-Vapor Versus Discrete Soil Sample Measurements for VOCs in the Near-Surface Vadose Zone, Feasibility Study
Abstract
Soil vapor samples were taken from 1 m beneath the ground surface at 16 different locations. Measured trichloroethene (TCE) in these samples was compared to that obtained for a collocated sample of the soil matrix. The linear slope (0.806) and strong correlation (r squared=0.950) obtained for this comparison of soil vapor (mg TCE/L) to soil mass (mg TCE/kg) concentrations are in good agreement with recent theoretical and empirical models for this volatile organic compound (VOC) in a low organic carbon soil matrix. This strong relationship suggests that active soil-vapor measurements could be used as an alternative to collecting and analyzing discrete soil samples for establishing both the presence and concentration of VOCs during site characterization and monitoring. Moreover, the techniques and instruments described here are robust, simple to use, and designed to enhance the reliability of soil-gas surveys to characterize vadose zone VOC contamination.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 1998
- Accession Number
- ADA351051
Entities
People
- Alan D. Hewitt
Organizations
- Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory