Environmental Fate Modeling of Persistent Organic Pollutants in Soil-Water-Air Multimedia Compartments

Abstract

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are environmentally hazardous compounds characterized by long-term persistence, bioaccumulation potential, and the ability to undergo long-range transport across multiple environmental media. This study investigates the environmental fate modeling of persistent organic pollutants in interconnected soil, water, and air multimedia compartments to evaluate pollutant transport, partitioning behavior, and long-term environmental distribution. The research focuses on developing and applying a multimedia fate model to analyze the influence of physicochemical properties, environmental conditions, and intermedia transfer mechanisms on contaminant behavior. Model simulations were performed to assess processes such as volatilization, adsorption, deposition, degradation, diffusion, and runoff under varying climatic and environmental scenarios. Results demonstrated that pollutant partitioning among soil, water, and atmospheric compartments is strongly governed by compound hydrophobicity, vapor pressure, organic carbon affinity, and degradation kinetics. The modeling approach successfully predicted the accumulation and migration patterns of persistent organic pollutants across environmental compartments and identified dominant transport pathways influencing environmental exposure. Sensitivity analysis revealed that temperature, precipitation, wind dynamics, and soil organic matter significantly affect pollutant mobility and persistence. Comparative evaluation with monitored environmental data confirmed the reliability of the multimedia model in estimating pollutant distribution and long-term fate behavior. The study further highlighted the importance of integrated environmental modeling for ecological risk assessment, pollution management, and regulatory decision-making. The findings provide valuable insights into the environmental transport dynamics of persistent organic pollutants and support the development of effective remediation strategies and environmental protection policies aimed at minimizing long-term contamination risks.