Characterization of black carbon in geosorbents at the nanometer scale by STEM-EDX elemental mapping

► We characterized black carbon (BC) using analytical electron microscopy (AEM). ► BC content of carbonaceous materials and sediment were analyzed using AEM. ► TEM-EDX analysis suggested soot, char, graphite have similar O/C elemental signature. ► STEM-EDX areal analysis provided comparable BC content as the conventional methods. ► Elemental mapping reveals morphological features and components at nanometer scale.