Sorption and combined sorption-biodegradation experiments were conducted in laboratory batch studies with 100g soil/sediments and 500 mL water to investigate the fates in aqueous environments of acetaminophen, caffeine, propranolol, and acebutolol, four frequently used and often-detected pharmaceuticals. All four compounds have demonstrated significant potential for degradation and sorption in natural aqueous systems. For acetaminophen, biodegradation was found to be a primary mechanism for degradation, with a half-life (t(1/2)) for combined sorption-biodegradation of 2.1 days; in contrast, sorption alone was responsible only for a 30% loss of aqueous-phase acetaminophen after 15 days. For caffeine, both biodegradation and sorption were important (t(1/2) for combined sorption-biodegradation was 1.5 days). However, for propranolol and acebutolol, sorption was found to be the most significant removal mechanism and was not affected by biodegradation. Desorption experiments revealed that the sorption process was mostly irreversible. High values were found for K-d for caffeine, propranolol, and acebutolol, ranging from 250 to 1900 L kg(-1), which explained their greater tendency for sorption onto sediments, compared to the more hydrophilic acetaminophen. Experimentally derived values for log K-oc differed markedly from values calculated from correlation equations. This discrepancy was attributed to the fact that these equations are well suited for hydrophobic interactions but may fail to predict the sorption of polar and ionic compounds. These results suggest that mechanisms other than hydrophobic interactions played an important role in the sorption process. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.