The emission of black carbon (BC) is known to cause major environmental problems and risk for human health. Black carbon is a general term used to describe inert carbonaceous material derived from the incomplete combustion which includes charcoal, char and soot. Significant amounts of BC from biomass and fossil fuels combustion are contained in soils and aquatic sediments. In this project we plan characterized morhology, composition and properties of BC and its source material in the soils and sediments from the exposed urban and mining areas by microscopic, chemical, spectroscopic and chromatographic methods with pyrolzsis. Special attention will be paid to the study of extensive sorption of selected organic contaminants to black carbon in comparison with kerogen and humic acids present in studied environments. The role of BC in the exposed environments will be elucidated.