Identification of Sediment Organic Carbon Location and Association with Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Contaminated Sediment

A fundamental long-term issue confronting sediment bioremediation is the lack of understanding of contaminant-sediment interactions and the impacts of such interactions on the failure to achieve treatment goals [1]. Little is known about the mechanisms of PAH and other hydrophobic organic compound sequestration and aging in sediments and the resulting effect on chemical and biological availability [2]. A major factor influencing successful sediment bioremediation is the availability of contaminants to microorganisms for degradation. It needs to be appreciated that contaminants, which are strongly sorbed and not available to microorganisms, may also not be available for a toxic response [3]. Thus, knowledge of how and where PAHs are bound to sediment material is necessary to assess the efficacy of sediment bioremediation and to correlate this knowledge with reductions in availability, mobility, and toxicity. The aim of this study therefore was to investigate those microscale processes that may control the availability of PAHs in sediments.