Uptake of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHS) by Broad Leaves: Analysis of Kinetic Limitations

A kinetic model for the uptake ofpolycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) wasdeveloped from the anatomical structure of broadleaves. The model, which is supported by fielddata, includes the uptake from two pathways: outercuticle pathway and stomatal pathway, and withgrowth rate incorporated as a dilution term. Allthe parameters for the calculation of total masstransfer coefficient, k_OL, were estimated fromthe conductance of water vapor diffusion throughleaves. The results indicate that the stomatalpathway is a dominant pathway for dry gaseousdeposition of POPs on leaves and the uptake fromouter cuticle pathway can be neglected for the PAHsof molar volumes larger than phenanthrene becauseof the rate limitation in outer layer cuticle. Model sensitivity analyses demonstrates that withinthe range of environmental conditions and normalleaf structure, the surface area in stomata has themost significant effect on the uptake rate. If thestomatal pathway is closed, the kinetics of uptakeare so slow that accumulation appears independentof compound lipophilicity or molecular size. Ineither case, the leaf growth rate has little effecton the predicted accumulation