In contrast, the sorptive capacity of office paper for toluene from acidogenic leachate was approximately 40 percent of that from organic-free water. Longer-term isotherm tests with PVC are ongoing. Single-solute Freundlich isotherm parameters for toluene sorption on MSW components. The 95 percent confidence intervals for Kf and N are shown in parentheses. Outstanding isotherm experiments will be completed in the next few months.
Current activity is focused on initiation of a preliminary bioavailability test.
For bioavailability experiments, contaminants will be aged for periods of up to 1 year in both acidogenic and methanogenic leachate, after which the leachate will be replaced with a toluene or o-xylene degrading culture. Biodegradation will be measured by monitoring for 14CH4 and 14CO2. In addition, abiotic desorption tests will be conducted following each aging period to determine whether desorption limits biodegradation rates.