title: Sorption of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) to carbonaceous materials in a river floodplain soil.
abstract: We report on sorption isotherm of phenanthrene (Phe) for river floodplain soil associated with carbonaceous materials, with particular attention being devoted to the natural loading of Phe. Our sorption experiments with original soil samples, size, and density sub-fractions showed that the light fraction had the highest sorption capacity comparable to low rank coals. In addition, the light fraction contributed most for the sorption of Phe in total soil samples. K(oc) values for all fractions were in the same range, thus indicating that coal and coal-derived particles in all samples are responsible for the enhanced sorption for Phe. Sorption was strongly nonlinear and the combined partitioning and pore-filling model gave a better fit than the Freundlich sorption model. In addition, the spiked PAHs did not show the same behavior as the naturally aged ones, therefore the accessibility of indigenous background organic contaminants was reduced when coal and coal-derived particles are associated with the soils.
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Geosciences, Vienna University, Althanstrasse 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Thilo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hofmann
authors.forename: Carmen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pies
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Grathwohl
mesh_terms: D000327:Adsorption; D002244:Carbon; D004463:Ecology / Q000379:methods; D055868:Floods; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000737:chemistry*; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D010616:Phenanthrenes / Q000032:analysis; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry*; D045483:Rivers; D012987:Soil / Q000032:analysis*; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D010616:Phenanthrenes; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons; D012987:Soil; D012989:Soil Pollutants; C031181:phenanthrene; D002244:Carbon