Nye, P.H.
Yaron, B.
Galin, T.
Gerstl, Z.

This study developed and tested a model that can predict the rate of diffusion through a dry soil column of the individual components in a liquid petroleum mixture when they are of low or intermediate volatility. Equations were derived that relate the vapor pressures of the components to their sorption from the gaseous phase by the soil. The model has been tested by comparing the evaporation of m-xylene and n-dodecane mixtures through sand, and air- and oven-dry Evesham clay soil in the laboratory. There was fair agreement between the model predictions and the experimental results. Discrepancies were attributed to errors in chemical analysis and the boundary effects that arose from rather short columns, and to experimental assumptions. -from Authors