Environmental modification of PAH composition in coal tar containing samples

Abstract

The PAH composition of coal tar containing samples collected at a number of coal gasworks sites has been studied. Samples were removed from areas where the coal tar components would have undergone varying degrees of environmental modification since deposition. The degree of environmental modification for individual PAHs exhibits a strong correlation with various molecular descriptors including octanol/water partition coefficient (K OW). Regression lines for environmental modification ratio-descriptor relationships show an increasing slope with increasing environmental attenuation of the coal tar sample. Aqueous partitioning and volatilization are probably the main processes which control environmental modification of coal tar at gasworks sites. The application of molecular descriptors shows promise for modelling the environmental behaviour of PAHs in these situations.