Effect of Solution Chemistry on the Extent of Binding of Phenanthrene by a Soil Humic Acid: A Comparison of Dissolved and Clay Bound Humic

The effect of pH, ionic strength, and cation in solution on the binding of phenanthrene by a soil humic acid in the aqueous phase was determined using fluorescence quenching. The phenanthrene binding coefficient with the dissolved soil humic, Koc, decreased with increasing ionic strength and solution cation valence. At low values of ionic strength, Koc values for this soil humic acid increased with increasing pH. For this humic sample, the experimental results were consistent with a conformational model of the humic substance in aqueous solution where, depending on solution conditions, some parts of the humic structure may be more open to allow increased PAH access to attachment sites. After sorption onto clays, supernatant solutions of the unadsorbed humic fraction yielded lower Koc values than the original bulk humic acid, suggesting that the humic substance was fractionating during its sorption onto the clays. Additionally, the extent of phenanthrene binding with the adsorbed humic fraction was lower than the results determined for the bulk humic acid prior to adsorption. The conformation of the humic substance when sorbed onto the inorganic surface appears to be affecting the level of phenanthrene binding by the humic acid.