Partitioning of Volatile Compounds

Abstract

Volatilization (also referred to as vaporization or evaporation) is the conversion of a chemical from the solid or liquid phase to a gas or vapor phase. The partitioning of a volatile compound in the subsurface environment comprises two distinct patterns: volatilization of contaminant molecules (from the liquid, solid, or adsorbed phase) and dispersion of the resulting vapors in the subsurface gas phase or the overlying atmosphere by diffusive and turbulent mixing.