The phenanthrene-sorptive interface of an arable topsoil and its particle size fractions

Sorption of organic chemicals in soil is affected by the properties and availability of surfaces. These surfaces are composed of diverse mineral, organic and biological components, forming a soil's ‘biogeochemical interface’. Phenanthrene was used to probe the hydrophobic sorptive capacity of the interface of an arable soil. Batch sorption experiments were carried out with the bulk soil as well as the fine (0.2–6.3 µm) and coarse (6.3–63 µm) particle size fractions of two arable topsoil samples with different organic matter (OM) contents from a Eutric Cambisol. The specific surface area (SSA) of the bulk soil and particle size fractions was determined by BET‐N2 and EGME sorption. OM composition was characterized by solid‐state 13C NMR spectroscopy. No clear relationship was found between phenanthrene sorption and SSA. We conclude that phenanthrene probes a specific fraction of the soil interface that is not well represented by the traditional methods of SSA detection such as BET‐N2 and EGME sorption. The sorption behaviour of phenanthrene may therefore provide a useful additional tool to characterize the specific affinity of the soil biogeochemical interface for hydrophobic molecules. Sorption capacity for phenanthrene increased after particle‐size fractionation, indicating that the reduced availability of the interface caused by the aggregated structure is important for the sorptive capacity of a soil. This should be considered when projecting data obtained from extensively treated and fractionated samples to the actual interaction with biogeochemical interfaces as they are present in soil.