In treatment plants, spillage of wood preservatives onto soil may be of environmental concern. This potential soil contamination served as an objective for a screening study. Three different mineral soils, a mineral substrate and two horticultural substrates are examined for their sorptive potential of copper through mixing with wood preservative solutions. Depending on the soil/substrate characteristics and the chemical nature of the preservatives used, copper is adsorbed to a higher extent with increasing concentration of the test solution. Soils with low organic matter and clay content show an upper limit of adsorption, irrespective of the product tested. The other soil types clearly exhibit a levelling-out effect from 2 to 4 hours on, often correlating with the initial metal concentration of the product though dependent on the chemical nature and buffering capacity of the active ingredients.

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