Page 9 - Partition & Adsorption of Organic Contaminants in Environmental Systems

x PREFACE

process to be beneficial. A great emphasis has been placed on the principles
underlying the contaminant sorption to these media and the related medium-
contaminant properties. Our intent is to derive from a range of laboratory and
field measurements some relatively simple views and rules that can guide us
toward a sufficiently accurate account of the activity and fate of contaminants
in the environment. In Chapters 1 through 4 of the book we provide requisite
backgrounds in thermodynamics and theories of solution and adsorption to
assist students and junior professionals to comprehend the discussion in sub-
sequent chapters on sorption-related thermodynamic properties. As we will
see in Chapters 5 through 8, nonionic contaminants are sorbed to natural sub-
stances usually either by a partition process (a solution phenomenon) or by
an adsorption process (a surface phenomenon), or by both in some situations.
It would not have been possible for the author to complete this book
without invaluable contributions of his co-workers at Oregon State Univer-
sity (Corvallis, Oregon) and the U.S. Geological Survey (Denver, Colorado)
and without the continuous inspiration of Professor Milton Manes, his former
research adviser at Kent State University (Kent, Ohio) and the co-author of
several research papers. The author thanks the National Institute of Environ-
mental Health Sciences, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the
National Science Foundation for their supports of his earlier research at
Oregon State University (1976–1983) and the U.S. Geological Survey for con-
tinuous support of his research (1983–date). The author is also indebted to the
encouragement from many of his colleagues to write this book and to their
assistance during the book’s preparation. Finally, the author thanks the U.S.
Geological Survey for the granting of official time to prepare the book and
for financial assistance in the drafting of the illustrative figures and graphs.

U.S. Geological Survey Cary T. Chiou
Denver, Colorado
February 2002