Comparative studies of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) and octadecyl (C18) as sorbents in passive sampling devices for biomimetic uptake of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from soils

To avoid overestimating the risk of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), research is needed to evaluate the bioavailable portion of PAHs in the environment. However, limited PSDs were developed for a terrestrial soil system. In this study, two sorbents, octadecyl (C-18) and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs), were individually evaluated as sorbents in passive sampling devices (PSDs) as biomimetic samplers to assess the uptake of PAHs from soil. C-18-PSDs were an excellent biomimetic tool for PAHs with a low molecular weight in complex exposure conditions with different soil types, types of PAHs, aging periods, and initial PAH concentrations in soil. The utility of MWNT-PSDs was limited by extraction efficiencies of PAHs from MWNTs. However, when compared to C-18-PSDs, they had higher adsorption capacities and were less expensive. This study provides data regarding useful techniques that can be used in risk assessment to assess the bioavailability of PAHs in soil. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.