Soil pollution by anthropogenic activities is an important environmental issue especially in industrialized countries. The objective of this study is to evaluate the environmental impact of a coal conversion plant on the surrounding soil by measuring the spatial distribution of particulate organic carbon and determining the concentration of trace elements (part I) and PAHs (part II). The results indicate that the surface soil presents an increase in the content of organic particulates with values exceeding 80% vol. at the centre of the coking plant facilities. The concentrations rapidly decrease as the distance from the plant increases. Although concentrations of As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, and Zn in most cases did not exceed the environmental limits, a clear relationship was established between the presence of some of these elements and the high values of particulate organic carbon content found in the proximity of the plant. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.