The Effects of Fuel Evaporation and Biomass Burning on Toluene Concentrations in an Urban Area

Using an automated gas chromatography system coupled with an online sampling/thermal desorption module, benzene, toluene, and their alkylated derivatives were measured in Las Vegas, Nevada from 3 July to 28 August 2008. The levels of hydrocarbons were comparable to those typically found in urban environments. Statistically significant (at 95?% level) higher concentrations were measured on mid-week days as compared with those measured during weekends. This was correlated to a local traffic pattern rather than traffic on highways. The concentrations of aromatic hydrocarbons also increased during periods when transport of smoke from wildfires in central and north California was identified by remote sensing but these levels were comparable to other days with volatile organic compounds concentrations. The high toluene/benzene ratios and the estimated photochemical age of air masses implied the contribution of other local sources. Fuel evaporation accounted for the vast majority of toluene enhanced concentrations in early July (as compared with those measured in June) for sites within the urban grid, but very little for sites located outside the urban area.     

Volatile Organic Compounds in the Ambient Air of Rousse,Bulgaria

Volatile organic compounds in the ambient air were measured at four locations in Rousse, Bulgaria for a one year period. A gas chromatograph/mass spectrometer equipped with a cryogenic concentrator was used to analyse the air samples. Forty one compounds (aromatic hydrocarbons and halogen-derivatives of aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons) were analysed by EPA method TO-14. Aromatic hydrocarbons, benzene, toluene, styrene, isomers of xylene and isomers of trimethyl benzene were the most frequently occurring pollutants. Styrene, isomers of xylene and isomers of trimethyl benzene frequently exceeded the concentration limits. Among the halogen derivatives, the concentration of chloroform was always very high. A concept called ‘degree of pollution’ was proposed to clarify the contribution of each pollutant to the total air-pollution. Suggestions were made on the need to introduce an integral tolerance parameter to describe the total impact on air-pollution.     

Assessment of the Impact Produced by the Traffic Source on VOC Level in the Urban Area of Canosa di Puglia (Italy)

Volatile organic compounds (VOC) have been monitored in 12 sites of Canosa di Puglia, a city located in the Southern of Italy, in order to identify the main VOC source—vehicular traffic or industrial—and to evaluate the critical situations in the city. Monitoring, carried out by using Radiello® diffusive samplers, has been planned taking into account the traffic density and the architecture of the city. From the study of the data it has been emerged that, among all considered VOC, benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylenes (BTEX) are the pollutants at higher concentration. However no critical situation has appared from the present monitoring. Maps of daily benzene and toluene concentrations have shown that the most significant pollution phenomena happens in the center of the urban area which is in a valley with narrow roads and high buildings that do not allow an efficient dispersion of pollutants. The study of the diagnostic ratios between the toluene and benzene concentrations in the several areas (average T/B?=?3.4) and the high Pearson’s coefficient among the pollutants, and in particular between benzene and toluene concentrations (r?=?0.9505), have suggested that in urban area these pollutants are emitted from the same source: the vehicular traffic.     

脆弱刚毛藻对水体中三种苯系物的去除效果

采用L934正交设计法,研究了脆弱刚毛藻[Cladophora fracta (Dillw.) Kuetz.]对水体中3种苯系物苯、甲苯和二甲苯的去除作用.结果表明,脆弱刚毛藻对苯、甲苯和二甲苯的去除率分别为46.6写,13.6%和7.4 Yo.分析不同处理条件对脆弱刚毛藻对苯去除率的影响,各因素极差值大小依次为:温度>处理时间>藻体重量,温度是影响去除笨效果的主要因素.在刚毛藻去除甲苯的实验中,各因素R值大小依次为处理时间>藻体重量>温度,主要影响因素是处理时间.而对于二甲苯,藻体重量则是最主要的因素.     

Monitoring BTEX and Aldehydes in Car Exhaust from a Gasoline Engine During the Use of Different Chemical Cleaners by Solid Phase Microextraction-Gas Chromatography

All commercial gasoline fuels build up deposits on the spark plugs, injectors, oxygen sensors, catalytic converter, and inside the combustion chamber, which will lower the engine's performance and increase air pollution. As a result, fuel-based detergents have been developed to prevent and remove unwanted deposits. Unfortunately, many of the detergents use high amounts of aromatic solvents, which result in a greater risk of exposure to aromatic compounds like benzene. In this study, car exhaust was analyzed for benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes (BTEX), as well as formaldehyde and acetaldehyde during engine cleaning service using different chemical cleaners. A special device was designed for sampling from car exhaust using solid phase microextraction. The extracted compounds were analyzed using a gas chromatograph with flame ionization detector. The cleaning products were rated with regard to the amount of pollutants produced during the cleaning service.     

Photodegradation of Tri(Chloropropyl) Phosphate Solution by UV/O3

The prediction of the time and the efficiency of the remediation of contaminated soils using soil vapor extraction remain a difficult challenge to the scientific community and consultants. This work reports the development of multiple linear regression and artificial neural network models to predict the remediation time and efficiency of soil vapor extractions performed in soils contaminated separately with benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene, trichloroethylene, and perchloroethylene. The results demonstrated that the artificial neural network approach presents better performances when compared with multiple linear regression models. The artificial neural network model allowed an accurate prediction of remediation time and efficiency based on only soil and pollutants characteristics, and consequently allowing a simple and quick previous evaluation of the process viability.     

The Relationship Between Indoor, Outdoor and Personal VOC Concentrations in Homes, Offices and Schools in the Metropolitan Region of Kocaeli, Turkey

Human exposure to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and residential indoor and outdoor VOC levels had hitherto not been investigated in Turkey. This study details investigations of indoor, outdoor, and personal exposure to VOCs conducted simultaneously in 15 homes, 10 offices and 3 schools in Kocaeli during the summer of 2006 and the winter of 2006–2007. All VOC concentrations were collected by passive sampling over a 24-h period and analyzed using thermal desorption (TD) and a gas chromatography/flame ionization detector (GC/FID). Fifteen target VOCs were investigated and included benzene, toluene, m/p-xylene, o-xylene, ethylbenzene, styrene, cyclohexane, 1,2,4-trimethylbenzene, n-heptane, n-hexane, n-decane, n-nonane, n-octane and n-undecane. Toluene levels were the highest in terms of indoor, outdoor, and personal exposure, followed by m/p-xylene, o-xylene, ethylbenzene, styrene, benzene and n-hexane. In general, personal exposure concentrations appeared to be slightly higher than indoor air concentrations. Both personal exposure and indoor concentrations were generally markedly higher than those observed outdoors. Indoor target compound concentrations were generally more strongly correlated with outdoor concentrations in the summer than in winter. Indoor/outdoor ratios of target compounds were generally greater than unity, and ranged from 0.42 to 3.03 and 0.93 to 6.12 in the summer and winter, respectively. Factor analysis, correlation analyses, indoor/outdoor ratios, microenvironment characteristics, responses to questionnaires and time activity information suggested that industry, and smoking represent the main emission sources of the VOCs investigated. Compared with the findings of earlier studies, the level of target analytes in indoor air were higher for several target VOCs, indicating a possible trend toward increased inhalation exposure to these chemicals in residential environments.     

Monocyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Kathmandu During the Winter Season

Mixing ratios of seven monocyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, as well as NO₂, SO₂ and O₃, were measured by long path differential optical absorption spectroscopy (DOAS) at a suburban site in Kathmandu, Nepal, during Jan.–Feb. 2003. The results showed average benzene (3.9?±?1.8 ppbv), toluene (13.3?±?7.1 ppbv), and sum of xylene isomers (42.2?±?15.7 ppbv) mixing ratios in Kathmandu. The xylenes concentrations were higher than in the large cities that have been studied. The observed ratio of toluene to benzene (2.9?±?1.8) reflected the small fraction of vehicles with catalytic converters in the Kathamndu. Analysis of the late afternoon time series of aromatics, NO _x , and wind data indicated that road traffic was one of the main sources of aromatics in the urban air. In addition, the correlations between aromatics, SO₂, NO _x , and PM₁₀ during the night strongly suggested that fossil and biomass fuel burning made an important contribution to air pollution in the Kathmandu valley. Aromatic pollution was further strengthened by daily recurring stable meteorological conditions and the surrounding topography. The chemical reaction of aromatics with free radicals during the daytime could also be deduced. High ratios of phenol/benzene and para-cresol/toluene could not be explained by chemical processes, and suggested direct emission of phenol and para-cresol in the Kathmandu atmosphere.     

Extraction of light hydrocarbons from soil

The recovery of light hydrocarbon constituents from three soils using three kinds of extraction methods, conducted in duplicates, was evaluated. Higher molecular weight compounds were recovered at greater than 80% whereas the recoveries of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene were generally less than 50%. Using the most efficient extraction procedure, the average recovery of light hydrocarbon from a soil, was 78%. Increased soil moisture content decreased the extent of recovery. Methanol and 2-propanol showed similar extracting potential for light hydrocarbon from soil. The rate of hydrocarbon removal was faster when methanol was used as a solvent, but its efficiency was similar to 2-propanol. The batch and column extraction methods gave very similar results for both solvents. However, column extraction offered an advantage over the soxhlet and batch procedures by reaching equilibrium faster.     

Catalytic Oxidation of Volatile Organic Compounds by 13X Zeolite Coated with nZnO in Presence of UV and Ozone at High Bed Temperature

Catalytic oxidation of benzene, toluene, and ethylbenzene (BTE) on virgin zeolite, nZnO-coated zeolite, with and without UV?+?O₃, at 300 °C bed temperature was investigated using laboratory experiments. The coating was done at three weight ratios of Zn (estimated Zn content in nZnO) to zeolite (0.2:1.0, 0.5:10, 1.0:1.0). The coated adsorbents were examined by scanning electron microscopy, wavelength dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and Brunauer Emmett Teller analyses. In the catalytic oxidation experiments, the adsorbents were first saturated with BTE by purging an air stream containing a mixture of BTE at 5 ppm each for 28 min. Introduction of UV?+?O₃ on the coated 13X zeolite (0.5:1.0) bed improved the average removal efficiency (RE) of benzene, toluene, and ethylbenzene (with inlet concentration of 5 ppm each) to 68.7, 90.0, and 99.6%, respectively, from the corresponding values of 57.3, 79.9, and 98.5% when no UV?+?O₃ was used. An increase in the coating weight ratio from 0.2:1.0 to 0.5:1.0 had produced a higher RE for benzene only, while a further increase to 1.0:1.0 witnessed a decrease in RE for all three compounds, and more for benzene. Avg RE of BTE decreased with the increase in their inlet concentrations, more significantly for an increase from 5 to 50 ppm and less noticeable for a further increase to 100 ppm. The final oxidation products and intermediate products in the outlet streams from the oxidation and thermal desorption were analyzed which showed predominant compositions of CO₂ followed by BTE and some levels of CO and other volatile organic compounds.     

Produced Water Surface Spills and the Risk for BTEX and Naphthalene Groundwater Contamination

The widespread use of unconventional drilling involving hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”) has allowed for increased oil-and-gas extraction, produced water generation, and subsequent spills of produced water in Colorado and elsewhere. Produced water contains BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene) and naphthalene, all of which are known to induce varying levels of toxicity upon exposure. When spilled, these contaminants can migrate through the soil and contaminant groundwater. This research modeled the solute transport of BTEX and naphthalene for a range of spill sizes on contrasting soils overlying groundwater at different depths. The results showed that benzene and toluene were expected to reach human health relevant concentration in groundwater because of their high concentrations in produced water, relatively low solid/liquid partition coefficient and low EPA drinking water limits for these contaminants. Peak groundwater concentrations were higher and were reached more rapidly in coarser textured soil. Risk categories of “low,” “medium,” and “high” were established by dividing the EPA drinking water limit for each contaminant into sequential thirds and modeled scenarios were classified into such categories. A quick reference guide was created that allows the user to input specific variables about an area of interest to evaluate that site’s risk of groundwater contamination in the event of a produced water spill. A large fraction of produced water spills occur at hydraulic-fracturing well pads; thus, the results of this research suggest that the surface area selected for a hydraulic-fracturing site should exclude or require extra precaution when considering areas with shallow aquifers and coarsely textured soils.     

Evaluation of Activated Carbon-Coated Electrode in Electrostatic Precipitator and Its Regeneration for Volatile Organic Compounds Removal

Activated carbon-coated electrode was developed and applied in electrostatic precipitator to remove volatile organic compound gases simultaneously with dust particles from a contaminated air. The activated carbon coating mixture was made up of powdered activated carbon (AC), carbon black (CB), and polyvinyl acetate (PVA), and methanol was added as a solvent to control the thickness of the mixture for best coating performance. During the coating process, the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface decreased to 86% of the original AC while pore volume percentages of macro pore increased, compared to micro- and meso-sized pores. The adsorption isotherm of benzene, toluene, ethyl benzene, and xylene (BTEX) gases onto the original AC and AC coating mixture (AC thoroughly mixed with PVA and methanol for coating and powdered again after dry) were tested and compared to each other, and it was found that both isotherm were best fitted to Freundlich and Langmuir isotherm with the order of adsorption capacities; ethyl benzene?>?m-xylene?>?toluene?>?benzene. The difference between adsorption capacities was clearer with the absorbent AC but became little with the AC coating mixture. In removing BTEX at increasing linear velocities up to 6.7 cm/s, it appeared that the surface area of AC electrode was directly proportional to its removal rate of BTEX. The thermal desorption was applied to regenerate the AC electrode, and 200 °C was found to be most efficient for benzene desorption, but higher temperature would be required for entire BTEX gases desorption.     

拖拉机驾驶室内非常规污染物排放的CFD模拟与试验

为探究农机驾驶室内非常规污染物分布特征,该研究以东方红1804型拖拉机为对象,通过Fluent仿真与实际测试进行非常规污染物排放研究。结果表明：23℃静止密闭状态下,驾驶室横截面呼吸带和进风口中间截面区域内苯的平均质量分数仿真值为2.70 和3.03 μg/m3;拖拉机驾驶室内检测出的挥发性有机物包括烷烃、烯烃、醇、醛酮、酯类及其他化合物共241种,检测出的苯、甲苯、二甲苯、乙苯、苯乙烯的浓度分别为3.08、30.49、46.84、8.39和2.43 μg/m3,低于相关标准规定的最大限值;驾驶室内人体呼吸区域的苯浓度试验值与仿真值误差范围在7.7%～10.0%之间,挥发性有机物浓度的变化趋势与仿真结果大致相同。研究结果可为进一步研究农机驾驶室内的空气质量提供理论依据。     

Effects of Increasing Dosages of Acid Mining Wastes in Metal Uptake by Lygeum spartum and Soil Metal Extractability

Water, Air, & Soil Pollution - A yearlong (December 2003 to February 2005) monitoring program was undertaken for urban roadside measurement of benzene, toluene, ethyl benzene, m- and p-xylene,...     

Evaluation of Air Injection and Extraction Tests at a Petroleum Contaminated Site,Korea

Air injection and extraction tests were conducted at a site where soils and groundwater were contaminated by petroleum hydrocarbons, mainly composed of TEX (toluene, ethylbenzene,and xylene). Storage tanks of petroleum hydrocarbons located less than 20 m away from the center of the test site were suspected to be the contamination source. Six injection/extraction wells and 21 monitoring wells were installed to evaluate performance and radius of influence with respect tosoil vapor extraction and air injection. Effective radius ofinfluence of the air injection tests based on pressure changes ranged from 3.3 to 10.5 m. Soil gas pressures, concentrationsof O₂, CH₄ and CO₂, and temperatures were measured during the tests. Air permeability and radii of influence with respect to gas pressure and oxygen supply by air injection were estimated. Dynamic changes in the concentrations of O₂, CH₄ and CO₂ gases and temperature around the extent of their ranges were detected asair was injected. We evaluated extensively the variations ofthe geochemical parameters that were indicative of active microbial degradation in this study.     

Rural O3 Levels in the Middle Ebro Basin During the Plant Growing Season

Ground-level dynamics of O₃, NO _x and benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylenes were characterised at rural sites in the medium Ebro River Basin (Northern Spain) from April to September (2003–2007) and by means of automated and passive monitoring. The study registered high O₃ levels within the area, which were influenced by traffic emissions, and a monthly evolution of these levels consistent with the occurrence of a broad summer maximum, typical of polluted areas. The mean ozone concentration registered in the studied area by means of passive sampling was 87?±?12 μg m^?3. The 2008/50/EC objective value for the protection of vegetation was widely exceeded during this study (AOT40?=?57,147?±?14,114 μg m^?3 h), suggesting that current ambient levels may pose a risk for crops and vegetation in this important agroindustrial region.     

Efficiency of rice bran for the removal of selected organics from water: kinetic and thermodynamic investigations

The sorption efficiency of indigenous rice (Oryza sativa) bran for the removal of organics, that is, benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and cumene (BTEC), from aqueous solutions has been studied. The sorption of BTEC by rice bran is observed over a wide pH range of 1-10, indicating its high applicability to remove these organics from various industrial effluents. Rice bran effectively adsorbs BTEC of 10 microg mL(-1) sorbate concentration from water at temperatures of 283-323 +/- 2 K. The effect of pH, agitation time between solid and liquid phases, sorbent dose, its particle size, and temperature on the sorption of BTEC onto rice bran has been studied. The pore area and average pore diameter of rice bran by BET method are found to be 19 +/- 0.7 m(2) g(-1) and 52.8 +/- 1.3 nm. The rice bran exhibits appreciable sorption of the order of 85 +/- 3.5, 91 +/- 1.8, 94 +/- 1.4, and 96 +/- 1.2% for 10 microg mL(-1) concentration of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and cumene, respectively, in 60 min of agitation time using 0.1 g of rice bran at pH 6 and 303 K. The sorption data follow Freundlich, Langmuir, and Dubinin-Radushkevich (D-R) models. Sorption capacities have been computed for BTEC by Freundlich (32 +/- 3, 61 +/- 14, 123 +/- 28, and 142 +/- 37 m mol g(-1)), Langmuir (6.6 +/- 0.1, 7.5 +/- 0.13, 9.5 +/- 0.22, and 9.4 +/- 0.18 m mol g(-1)), and D-R isotherms (11 +/- 0.5, 16 +/- 1.3, 30 +/- 2.2, and 33 +/- 2.5 m mol g(-1)), respectively. The Lagergren equation is employed for the kinetics of the sorption of BTEC onto rice bran and first-order rate constants (0.03 +/- 0.002, 0.04 +/- 0.003, 0.04 +/- 0.003, and 0.05 +/- 0.004 min(-1)) have been computed for BTEC at their concentration of 100 mug mL(-1) at 303 K. Studies on the variation of sorption with temperatures (283-323 K) at 100 mug mL(-1) sorbate concentration gave thermodynamic constants DeltaH (kJ mol(-1)), DeltaG (kJ mol(-1)), and DeltaS (J mol(-1) K(-1)). The results indicate that the sorption of organics onto rice bran is exothermic and spontaneous in nature under the optimized experimental conditions selected. This sorbent has been used successfully to accumulate and then to determine benzene, toluene, and ethylbenzene in wastewater sample.     

Passive and Active Sampling of Benzene in Different Urban Environments in Gothenburg, Sweden

Urban benzene concentration and personal exposure to benzene were measured within different urban environments in Gothenburg, Sweden. Three intensive monitoring campaigns were carried out in May 2000, February 2001 and May 2001. Three different environments were selected; two central built-up areas with different traffic densities (high and low) and one large urban park. The methods used included passive and active sampling. Passive sampling was used to retrieve spatial variability in urban benzene concentrations, while active sampling aimed to give data on personal exposure levels within the designated areas. The passive sampling showed large spatial and temporal variations in urban benzene concentrations. The benzene concentrations, ranging from 1.0 to 3.1 μg m^?3, were typically two to four times higher within the high-traffic built-up area compared to the adjacent urban park. This was mainly due to the proximity to motorised traffic. A comparison between personal exposure and active stationary measurements showed that the personal exposure levels were roughly 1.5 times higher in the heavy traffic area and 1.3 times higher in the light traffic area than the fixed benzene concentrations. The personal exposure levels in the park were equal to the active stationary benzene concentration. Given the large spatial heterogeneity within urban areas, the placement of single street level point measurements becomes crucial. Care must be taken to ensure that the measurements are actually representative when using these measurements to estimate urban concentrations and exposure levels.     

A New Approach to Calculate EMEA��s Predicted Environmental Concentration for Human Pharmaceuticals in Groundwater at Bank Filtration Sites

Hourly concentrations of non-methane hydrocarbons (NMHCs) recorded between June and August 2006, at two monitoring sites (Gijang and Jin) in Busan were analyzed to examine the characteristics and photochemical reactivity of NMHC sources. The two sites represent urban (Jin) and suburban (Gijang) Busan, which is a typical Korean city. Positive matrix factorization (PMF), applied to identify and apportion the sources of NMHCs, revealed nine sources for Gijang and ten sources for Jin. To explore the contribution of each NMHC source to ozone formation at the two sampling sites, the ozone formation potential was estimated for each source. The largest contributors to ozone formation were sources characterized by 1,2,3-trimethylbenzene (26.4%) at Gijang and by toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes (22.5%) at Jin, which were composed mostly of heavy hydrocarbons and aromatics. Secondary sources included two coating sources (20.9%, 12.2%) and vehicle exhaust (10.3%) at Gijang and a source represented by toluene (17.4%), vehicle exhaust (15.9%), and a coating-2 source (9.6%) at Jin. Conditional probability function (CPF) and potential source contribution function (PSCF) analysis methods were used to identify the directions of local sources and to locate potential source regions, respectively. The CPF and PSCF results agreed well for the majority of sources resolved by PMF and thus were very useful in identifying the major sources contributing to ozone formation at the two study sites.     

BTEX Sorption by Montmorillonite Organo-Clays: TMPA,Adam, HDTMA

Organo-clay can be utilized for the containment of environmentalpollutants originating from waste sites or accidental spills. Abatch study was conducted using organo-clays produced from aWyoming montmorillonite (SWy) and three organic cations(trimethylphenylammonium (TMPA), trimethylammonium adamantane(Adam), and hexadecyltrimethylammonium (HDTMA)) to characterizeBTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, o-, m-, p-xylene) sorption. Sorption data were fitted to two models,with Freundlich resulting in greater correlations of the datathan the Langmuir model (R ² at P ≤0.001-0.05). The Freundlich conditional index (n _f),which describes the experimental sorption characteristics,decreased curvilinearly with organic-cation molecular weights,thus suggesting organo-clays with smaller cations had greaterhydrocarbon retention. Sorption of BTEX followed the order ofTMPA > Adam > HDTMA organo-clays. A similar sequence in themagnitudes of log K _d and log K _omsupportedthis finding. Positive log K _om/K _ow valuesfor TMPA and Adam derivatives indicated there was a greaterretention of BTEX by these organo-clays than octanol. The orderof log K _om for SWy-HDTMA, although concentration-dependent, was analogous to the log K _ow order,indicating partitioning was the dominant sorption mechanism forthe HDTMA-clay. Isotherms for SWy-TMPA and SWy-Adam followed aconvex up pattern. In contract, a concave up curvature, notedfor SWy-HDTMA isotherms, was probably caused by a cosorptiveenhancement process resulting from an effective increase in organic matter content of the organo-clay due to furtherhydrocarbon sorption,in concurrence with a decrease inadsorbate activity coefficients. Values of binding affinityconstant, K _f, for SWy-TMPA were consistently higherthan SWy-Adam. The K _f values determined for totalBTEX sorption by TMPA and Adam derivatives were higher thanthose for the individual hydrocarbons. With SWy-HDTMA, the same order was observed for benzene and toluene; however, ethylbenzene and xylenes had greater K _f values thanthat for the BTEX mixture, possibly due to higher partitioningaffinity of the larger alkylbenzenes. With SWy-HDTM, thesequence of K _f values was: ethylbenzene > m-xylene > p-xylene > o-xylene > toluene >benzene. Trends for SWy-TMPA and SWy-Adam were in contrast tothat of the partitioning order, suggesting that adsorption, ratherthan partitioning, was the primary sorption mechanism for thesetwo organo-clays. With respect to the equilibriumconcentrations, the sorbed amounts for total BTEX mixture weregenerally higher than those for the individual compounds. Ascompared to benzene and toluene, the large-size alkylbenzenesshowed greater partitioning affinity due to their high hydrophobicity.