The influence of soil composition on the leachability of selected hydrophobic organic compounds (HOCs) from soils using a batch leaching test

•Kd-values were determined for 13 HOCs in batch tests with varying soil composition.•Log Kd-values (ranged from 2 to 5.7) were lowest for α-HCH and highest for PCB 155.•The clay content may influence significantly the leachability of HOCs with Kow>6. The influence of soil composition (peat and clay content) on the leachability was investigated in batch leaching experiments for chemically diverse hydrophobic organic compounds (HOCs: PCP, PAHs, HCB, HCHs, PCBs, and TCDD/Fs). An experimental design was applied to generate 8 diverse soil matrices, and the results were evaluated by orthogonal projections to latent structures (OPLS), as well as compound specific response surface models. Overall, the distribution coefficients (logKd) of model HOCs were in the range of approx. 2.0–5.7. The Kd-values of HCHs, phenanthrene and PCP were positively correlated with the peat content. Kd-values of benzo(a)anthracene, HCB, and PCB 47 were positively correlated with both peat and clay content. The Kd-values of 1,3,6,8-TCDD and 1,3,6,8-TCDF were positively correlated with peat content but negatively correlated with clay content, while for PCB 153 and PCB 155 the correlations were reversed. The correlation between the Kd-values and the compounds’ Kow-values was linearly for compounds with log Kow 6, the Kd-values were leveling off, possibly due to small particles in the leachates. Our study demonstrated how complex interaction between both the organic matter and clay components influences the leachability of HOCs in a compound-specific manner.