[Sorption characteristics of phenanthrene on sediments from Chinese southern rivers and lakes].

The sorption/desorption behavior of phenanthrene in five aquatic sediments from Chinese southern rivers and lakes were studied using multiple cycles of sorption/desorption experiments. The results showed that the sorption of phenanthrene on sediments was proportional to the content of organic carbon and that there were irreversible sorption processes. When the total sorption was separated into reversible and irreversible fractions, reversible sorption of phenanthrene on sediments could be better predicted by its partitioning between water and organic carbon phase. It was concluded that the sediment organic carbon could be the essential factor that controlling the environmental behavior of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon in aquatic sediment under study and the ecological risk should associated also with the irreversibility of the sorption processes.