The main soil properties related to the leaching of naphthalene in soils are particle size, organic matter content and the mineralogical composition of silt and clay fractions. The aim of this study was to evaluate naphtalene reactive transfer in soil columns determinated by the dispersion and retardation of naphthalene in soil samples collected from the surroundings of fuel storage tanks in Recife, Brazil. Leaching experiments were carried out in columns containing disturbed soils and were modeled using the convection-dispersion equation, which was adjusted to the experimental data with the CXTFIT software 2.0. The results indicated that sandy soils offer less resistance to leaching of naphthalene and that the presence of goethite, together with organic matter appeared to be the main factors responsible for the retardation of naphtalene transport in the studied samples.
hydrodispersive parameters; leaching curves; model CDE; retardation factor; environmental contamination
