Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in hard coals from Poland

Concentrations of seventeen unsubstituted polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) have been determined in hard coal samples from the Carboniferous Upper Silesian, Lower Silesian and Lublin Coal Basins. Among the investigated coals the highest average content of PAHs was determined for the Lower Silesian coals - 6.619 ppm, whereas the means for the Upper Silesian and Lublin coals were 4.11 and 4.319 ppm respectively. Hard coals from the Lublin Coal Basin have relatively high contents of the 5- and 6-cyclic hydrocarbons and lower contents of the 3-cyclic hydrocarbons (0.180 ppm) than coals from the Lower Silesian and Upper Silesian Coal Basins, which contain 2.542 and 1.437 ppm respectively. Within the Upper Silesian Coal Basin there are differences in the PAH "profiles": the coals from the eastern part of the basin have higher contents of the 5- and 6-cyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and lower contents of the 3-cyclic hydrocarbons than those from the western part of the basin.