View article

Contaminant sorption, an important process that may limit bioavailability, hinder remediation, encourage environmental persistence, and control mobility in the environment, has been the focus of numerous studies. Despite these efforts, the fundamental understanding of sorptive processes in soil and sedimentary environments has not been resolved. For instance, many have suggested that contaminants, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), solely interact with aromatic domains of organic matter. Until now, studies have neglected the aliphatic components that are known to be a recalcitrant and significant part of soil and sedimentary organic matter (SOM). In this investigation, the sorption of phenanthrene to several aliphatic-rich SOM samples was measured. The samples included the following:  SOM precursors (algae, degraded algae, cellulose, collagen, cuticle, and lignin), two kerogen samples …