What did we learn from nature ?
- Principal sediment particle classes for PAH binding: clay/silt & coal-derived
- PAHs bind preferentially on coal-derived particles
- PAHs sorbed on coal-derived particles have high activation energies, and are unavailable to organisms.
- Clay/silt particles release PAHs more readily than coal-derived particles
- PAH reduction in clay/silt results in significant reduction in earthworm PAH accumulation