An XAD-2 assisted desorption assay was evaluated to assess its functionality in determining the bioavailability of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in an aged fiel contaminated sediment. In the study, various dosages ol XAD-2 resin were added to abiotic sediment-water slur systems to adsorb the PAHs from the aqueous phase thus accelerating the desorbability of these contaminanl from the sediment. A parallel experiment on the biodegradation of these PAHs by microorganisms indigene to the sedimentwas also conducted. Both the desorbabilit of the PAHs in the XAD-2 assisted desorption assay and their biodegradability decreased with time and eventua approached constant values. The two procedures showei very similar residual concentrations of PAHs for compounds with less than five benzene rings. This suggests that the XAD-2 assisted desorption assay shows promise in measuri the bioavailability of PAHs in field-contaminated sediment and could be used for predicting the end point of PAH bioremediation.
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