ABSTRACT
There are several factors and processes that can affect the transport and fate of organic contaminants in the vadose zone, including advection by water flow, dispersion, gas-phase transport, and immiscible-liquid processes. Other processes of importance are hydrolysis, oxidation and reduction, volatilization, sorption, and biological transformation. Sorption and biological transformations are often the dominant reactions governing the fate and transport of chemicals in the subsurface. Elsewhere in this book, Runnells reviews hydrolysis and oxidation/reduction reactions. The focus of this section is volatilization, sorption, and transport of organic solutes.
