Water Science & Technology: Water Supply Vol 7 No 3 pp 69–74 © IWA Publishing 2007 doi:10.2166/ws.2007.068
Elevated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in a river floodplain soil due to coal mining activities
T. Hofmann*, C. Pies** and Y. Yang*
*Department of Environmental Geosciences, Center for Earth Sciences, Vienna University, Althanstrasse 14, 1090 , Vienna, Austria (E-mail: thilo.hofmann@univie.ac.at)
** Institute of Geoscience, Applied Geosciences, Johannes Gutenberg-University, Becherweg 21, 55099 , Mainz, Germany
ABSTRACT
Elevated PAH concentrations were found in soil samples collected along the Mosel River. These contaminations were associated with the occurrence of coal particles found in the soil. The majority of the PAH contamination in the soils was linked to coal mining activities in the Saar region. Density and grain size separation showed a similar PAH distribution pattern in all of the fractions, indicating a uniform origin of PAHs. Together with coal petrography a good correlation between TOC and PAHs concentration confirmed the impact of former coal mining activity on the PAHs distribution in study area.
Keywords: Coal mining; PAHs; sediments; soil; TOC
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