PAHs in sediments associated with coal and coal-derived particles -- Occurrence, mobility and risk assessment

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are ubiquitous hydrophobic organic contaminants in the environment. They tend to be associated with particles and are widely transported by flooding and atmospheric pathways, resulting in elevated concentrations in sediments/soils. Coal and coal-derived particles in natural sediments/soils can act not only as strong sinks for the PAHs, but also as very important sources of PAHs in sediments/soils. The understanding of the mobility of these contaminants from the sediments/soils is very important, because sorption/desorption, especially sequestration of PAHs by these coal and coal-derived particles in soils can control their transportation, bioavailability, degradation and hence the potential risk in the environment.