Movement of kepone® (chlordecone) across an undisturbed sediment-water interface in laboratory systems

Abstract

Abstract The distribution of Kepone® (chlordecone) in a sediment bed after various periods of continuous toxicant input to the overlying water column was determined in a laboratory system. Most of the Kepone was found to accumulate in the top 0.6 to 1.5 cm of sediment. A mathematical model was developed to predict Kepone concentrations with depth over time in the sediment. An equilibrium partition coefficient was determined from batch sorption tests and a molecular diffusion coefficient for Kepone was estimated from an empirical relationship between diffusivity and molecular weight. A computed Kepone distribution based on diffusion rates that decreased with depth and with incubation time gave the best fit to the observed data. We attribute the apparently faster rates in the upper sediment to mixing between interstitial and overlying water. Our results illustrate the value of models in conjunction with laboratory studies in defining the interactions of pollutants with sediment beds.