Atmospheric sources and soil filtering of PAH content in karst seepage waters

The analysis of PAHs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) in karst environments has provided an assessment of the vulnerability of karst water and the study of PAH records in stalagmites. The major source of PAHs has generally been considered to be the soil. In this study, we report the quantification of PAHs in the ecosystem compartments of a mountain karst system over a snow-melting period and the spring to summer dry period. PAH profiles in karst seepage waters were consistently similar to those in wet deposits, following the change in PAH profiles between winter and summer periods. However, PAH signatures of atmospheric wet deposits were modulated by a loss of the high molecular weight PAHs, which appear to accumulate in soils. A PAH mass balance was calculated during a summer storm event. This mass balance suggests that dry deposits and canopy throughfall could account for the PAH abundance in karst seepage waters. This study demonstrates the ability of organic hydrophobic compounds to be directly transferred from the atmosphere or canopy into seepage waters, giving new emphasis to the study of PAHs recorded in stalagmites.     

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in surface water and soil in the vicinity of fuel-oil spillage from a tank farm distribution facility, Esuk Utan, Calabar Municipality, Nigeria

The concentrations of total polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (??PAHs) and 16 individual PAH compounds in 6 surface water and 44 soil samples collected from the vicinity of spilled fuel from a pipeline which carries fuel from a jetty to the tank farm were analyzed. The ??PAHs concentrations in surface water ranged from 0.37 to 99.30?mg/l with a mean concentration of 57.83?mg/l. The ??PAHs concentrations in water are of several orders of magnitude higher than in unpolluted water and some national and international standards including in some surface water in other parts of the world. This suggests that the surface water of the area were heavily polluted by anthropogenic PAHs possibly from the spills. The total PAH concentrations in soil ranged from 16.06 to 25,547.75???g/kg with a mean concentration of 2,906.36???g/kg. ??PAH concentrations of the seven carcinogenic PAH compounds in soil varied between 0.02 and 97,954???g/kg. In terms of composition of patterns in surface water and soil, the PAHs were dominated by four and three rings. The distribution pattern showed marked predominance by low molecular weight compounds. In comparison with ??PAHs concentrations in other part of the world, the total PAH concentrations of this area were higher than those reported for some urban soils in some regions of the world. The ratios of Phe/Ant, Flu/Pyr, Flu/(Flu?+?Pyr), and BaA/(BaA?+?Chyr) in both water and soil indicated various sources of PAH in the area. These sources include fuel spills, burning of motor tyres and vegetation, vehicle repairs and washing, motor exhaust and fire wood burning from cooking.     

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in sediments from the Pearl river and estuary,China: spatial and temporal distribution and sources

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were measured in surface sediments and dated core sediments from the Pearl river and estuary, China, to investigate the spatial and temporal variability of anthropogenic pollutants. The sediments from the sampling stations at the Guangzhou channel have the highest concentrations of PAHs, owing to contributions from the large amount of urban/industrial discharges from the city of Guangzhou. The significant decrease of PAHs concentrations in sediments from the Shiziyang channel is mainly attributed to the increasing degradation and desorption of low molecular weight PAHs and alkyl PAHs, and the dilution by less contaminated water and particles from the East river. The PAH contaminants were concentrated on the western side in the Lingding bay of the Pearl river estuary because of the hydrodynamic and sedimentation conditions. Based on the characteristics of the parent compound distributions (PCDs) and the alkyl homologue distributions (AHDs) of PAHs, the potential source of PAHs in sediments from each sampling station was identified. Results indicated that the pyrogenic (combustion) source, characterized by the abundance of parent PAHs, were predominant in the heavily contaminated station (ZB01) near the aging industrial area, and the petrogenic (petroleum- derived) PAHs were more abundant in the stations (ZB02, ZB03) adjacent to the petrochemical plant and shipping harbor. Sediments from Lingding bay show variable distributions of PAH composition and variety in the proportion of combustion and petrogenic sources for the PAHs in different stations. Perylene, a naturally derived PAH, was found to be highly abundant in less contaminated stations. Analysis of the dated sediments (²¹⁰Pb) indicates that higher PAH concentrations occurred in the sediments deposited after 1980, and higher fluxes of PAHs discharged to the Pearl river are found after 1990.     

Levels and sources of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in selected irrigated urban agricultural soils in Accra, Ghana

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are ubiquitous organic pollutants in urban environments including urban soils. Elevated concentrations of PAHs in urban soils are caused by incomplete combustion of petroleum and coal. This study assesses 16 individual PAH compounds in a total of 112 surficial soil samples. The objective was to assess and compare the levels of contamination as well as examine the main sources of PAHs in four urban agricultural soils using molecular ratios of some specific hydrocarbons. The study showed that PAH levels in soil ranged from 1.23 ng/kg in soil collected from Dzorwulu to 2.95 ng/kg in soil collected from Ghana Broadcasting Cooperation (GBC) vegetable irrigation site. Of the total PAHs, the more water soluble PAHs (2–4 rings), which tend to be concentrated in the vapour phase were found to dominate the soils. The percentage dominance were Dzorwulu (52.8 %), Marine Drive (62.5 %), CSIR (53.2 %) and GBC (49.2 %). However, there were significant levels of the more carcinogenic PAHs (5–6 rings) present with percentages as 47.1, 37.5 46.8 and 50.8 % for Dzorwulu, Marine Drive, CSIR and GBC vegetable irrigation sites, respectively, and therefore, may impact negatively on public health. Based on the classification by the Institute of Soil Science and Plant Cultivation in Pulawy, Poland, urban soils in Accra could be classified as contaminated to different levels. Molecular ratios of Flu/pyr and PA/Ant were calculated to determine the main sources of PAHs. Results showed that PAHs could originate mainly from incomplete combustion of petroleum products, especially from atmospheric fallout from automobile exhausts. The study further showed that B(a)P concentration of 0.05 ng/kg in soil from GBC urban vegetable irrigation site requires immediate clean-up exercise and monitoring to mitigate human health impact.     

徐州土壤多环芳烃的环境地球化学迁移特征

选择江苏徐州黄棕壤进行不同深度层位多环芳烃含量的定量分析,研究并探讨了多环芳烃在土壤深度剖面中的地球化学迁移特征。研究结果显示,多环芳烃在徐州土壤剖面中主要集中在地表0~20 cm内。其中低环多环芳烃化合物的迁移能力较强,4~6环等高环化合物相对较难迁移,主要残留于地表生态系统环境中。     

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon concentrations in urban soils representing different land use categories in Shanghai

An extensive soil survey was carried out in Shanghai to investigate the spatial distribution and possible sources of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in urban soils. Soil samples were collected from highways, iron-smelting plants, steel-smelting plants, shipbuilding yards, coking plants, power plants, chemical plants, urban parks, university campuses and residential areas and were analyzed for 16 PAHs by gas chromatography with mass detection. High PAH concentrations were found in all locations investigated, with mean values of soil total PAH concentrations in the range 3,279–38,868 μg/kg DM, and the PAH concentrations were significantly influenced by soil organic matter content. Soil PAH profiles in all districts were dominated by PAHs with 4–6 rings. Principal components analysis and diagnostic ratios of PAHs indicate that they were mainly derived from coal combustion and petroleum but in soils from highways the PAHs were derived largely from vehicle exhaust emissions. The high concentrations of PAHs found indicate that many urban soils in Shanghai represent a potential hazard to public health.     

湖州市不同土地利用类型土壤中多环芳烃的分布及来源

建立了原子发射光谱法测定独居石矿物中钇组稀土元素的分析方法。在260.00~360.00 nm波段内,选择不受干扰的分析谱线,用炭粉作缓冲剂,钪作内标元素,样品不需要化学处理,不需分离,可直接采用原子发射光谱法测定钇组稀土元素。方法相对标准偏差(RSD,n=12)为1.6%~6.2%,相对误差RE<±12.0%,方法简单、快速、可行。     

水体悬浮颗粒物的扫描电镜与X射线能谱显微分析

通过对湖州地区74个土壤样品多环芳烃含量的测定,分析了湖州市不同土地利用类型土壤中多环芳烃(PAHs)的含量特征及污染水平。结果表明,湖州地区PAHs各组分的含量均有检出,各种土地利用类型表层土壤均受到一定程度的PAHs污染,但均小于荷兰土壤修复标准;湖州市区耕地中PAHs的含量最高;从PAHs低环/高环比值小于1以及芘/苯并(a)芘比值小于2,反映了湖州地区土壤中PAHs主要是由燃煤和生活污染产生的。     

大气干湿沉降: 地下河多环芳烃的重要来源——以广西清水泉地下河为例

为证实大气干湿沉降物是岩溶地下河中多环芳烃(PAHs)的来源,研究选择了某城市典型的岩溶地下河水源地作为研究地点,采用大气干湿采样器、聚氨酯泡沫(PUF)大气被动采样器分别采集大气及其干湿沉降物样品,同时采集地下河水样和分层采集流域土壤,利用气相色谱-质谱联用仪(GC-MS)测定了16种PAHs优先控制污染物。结果表明,地下河流域大气干湿沉降中PAHs的干湿沉降通量为147.26 ng·(m2·d)-1,流域PAHs沉降量为1943.8 g;大气中的PAHs浓度为45.33 ng·m-3;地下河水中PAHs浓度平均值为220.98 ng·L-1;土壤中PAHs浓度为38.72 ng·g-1;大气、降雨和土壤中PAHs组成以2~3环的萘、芴、菲、荧蒽、芘5种为主,地下河水中以芴、菲、荧蒽、芘、苯并[a]蒽、苯并[a]芘6种为主。利用地下河多介质中的16种PAHs成分谱、特征比值结合它们的物理化学性质进行PAHs的源解析,研究显示大气干湿沉降是岩溶地下河水中多环芳烃的主要污染源之一,这归因于岩溶地区防污性能的脆弱性。     

Sources and history of PAHs in lake sediments from oil-producing and industrial areas,northeast China

Abundance, sources, and historical records of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in sediment cores of three lakes located in northeast China were evaluated. One lake was located in a rural oil field area, one in an industrial urban oil field area, and the third in an urban industrialized area without oil field influence. Cores from each lake were divided into 1-cm sections, dated using ¹³⁷Cs techniques, and 16 priority PAH compounds were measured. Total PAH concentrations were greater in industrial areas than in rural area, regardless of associated oil production. Only petroleum sources of PAHs were identified in lakes near oil fields between 1950s and 1980s, while sources of liquid fossil fuel combustion were persistently identified in the industrial urban lake. From 1990s to 2000s, PAH concentrations, especially high molecular weight PAHs, significantly increased in all lakes, which were consistent with the economic development in China, suggesting a change in energy use from wood burning and petroleum (oil) to liquid fossil fuel combustion. Environmental risk was low to moderate in sediments of the three lakes studied, and increases in high molecular weight PAHs during 1900s–2000s is a concern.     

环境中的多环芳烃及其生物恢复技术

多环芳烃是一大类广泛存在于环境中的有机污染物。天然燃烧、火山爆发、矿物资料及其它有机物的不完全燃料和热解产生的PAH进入大气中，气态沉降、城市地表径流、城市污水、废水及油的溢涵和渗漏等是PAH进行地表水的主要途径，大气中PAH的干、湿沉降，污水灌溉，地面及地下储油装置的渗漏，地面固体废物堆的淋滤等是土壤中PAH的主要来源，沉积物和土壤是PAH的主要环境归宿。生物恢复是一种处理有机污染的新方法。     

Composition and source identification of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in mangrove sediments of Peninsular Malaysia: indication of anthropogenic input

This is a comprehensive study of the composition, origin and sources of specific polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in sediments of mangrove estuary in the western part of Peninsular Malaysia. Mangrove sediments were analyzed for 17 PAHs by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. Total PAH concentrations in the sediments ranged from 20 to 112 ng/g on a dry-weight basis. High molecular weight PAHs were abundant in the sediments. Parent PAH ratios revealed that pyrogenic input has important contribution to the sedimentary PAHs. Ratios of alkylated PAHs indicate that the sedimentary PAHs were influenced by petrogenic PAHs, which implies that petrogenic input has contribution to the sedimentary PAHs but that it is not a major factor in distribution of PAHs within the estuary. Combustion-derived PAHs show a positive and very strong correlation with total PAHs (R ² = 0.926, p < 0.05). Total methylphenanthrenes show very weak correlation with total PAHs (R ² = 0.0928, p < 0.05). The PAH concentrations were found to increase with distance from the upstream of the estuary to the coastal area of the Straits of Malacca. For the assessment of sediment contamination using biological thresholds, none of the individual studied PAH compounds exceeded the values of the effect range low–effect range median guideline and the threshold effects level–probable effects level guideline. This study demonstrates that the sediments of the mangrove ecosystem facing the Straits of Malacca and Sumatra are influenced by anthropogenic PAH inputs as a result of human activities such as biomass burning, vehicle emissions and boating activities.     

Survey of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and nitrated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in Jiaxing city, China

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) and nitrated PAH (NPAH) products are toxic. Thus, determination of their concentrations is of great interest to researchers of soil and water pollution control. In this work, soil samples, surface water samples, and groundwater samples were collected, and the concentrations of 16 priority PAHs and 15 NPAHs were determined using an HPLC-ultraviolet detector. Results showed that the total PAH concentrations ranged within 489.69–1,670.11 ng/g (average = 905.89 ng/g) in soil samples, 4.00–23.4 μg/l (average = 9.84 μg/l) in surface water samples, and 2.14–22.3 μg/l (average = 8.37 μg/l) in groundwater samples. The NPAH concentrations were one to two orders of magnitude lower than the PAH concentrations and ranged within 22.72–128.70 ng/g (average = 63.88 ng/g) in soil samples. 2-Nitropyrene and 6-nitrochrysene were the most abundant compounds, accounting for about 14.3 and 26.5 %, respectively. Source analysis revealed that most PAHs originated from coal combustion around the study area, whereas NPAH studies suggested that the primary emission of gasoline engines and daytime OH reactions were the dominant sources of these compounds.     

Sediment-water column exchange of persistent organic pollutants (PAH<Subscript>s</Subscript> and PCB<Subscript>s</Subscript>) and their transport vector in El Bey watershed,Tunisia

El Bey river, which drains 60% of the pollutant load of several urban cities in the northeast of Tunisia, provides a good example of the transfer of organic and metallic pollutants that result from industrial and urban activity, and can be used to show how these charges are transported and discharged into the Gulf of Tunis. Persistent organic pollutants (PAH and PCB) in dissolved, particulate matter, bed sediments, and three wastewater effluents in El Bey watershed were analyzed. PAH (∑14PAHs) concentration ranged from 0.248 to 9.955 mg L^?1 and from 0.836 to 28.539 mg L^?1 in dissolved and particulate fraction respectively. The particulate/dissolved partition coefficient value (Kd) was less than one which confirmed the affinity of PAH to be adsorbed. In sediment, the high-molecular weight PAHs were found principally with percentage between 50 and 100% witch present 239.99 to 5362.19 μg kg^?1, which is relatively higher in comparison with other estuaries river. Contrary to PAH patterns, PCB were bound to dissolve fraction. Kd _(PCB) value (Kd?>?1) reflected this affinity which is related to environment energy. The spatial distribution and profile of analyzed organic pollutants confirmed the direct impact of wastewater effluent on the organic pollution level in three compartment of El Bey watershed and his profiles suggested different transport patterns.     

徐州市区多环芳烃的环境地球化学特征

选择江苏徐州城市生态系统中水、土、植物等不同环境介质进行多环芳烃的定量分析,研究并探讨了多环芳烃在城市环境中的地球化学特征。研究结果显示:多环芳烃在徐州土壤、地表水、地下水以及生长作物中均广泛存在,主要集中在以钢铁厂为中心的城区约20 km2范围内。由此提示人们:由大量工业活动等人为因素造成的徐州城市环境有机污染不容忽视。     

Hydrogeochemistry and transport of organic contaminants in an urban watershed of Chesapeake Bay (USA)

Stream water samples were collected in the two main free-flowing branches of the Anacostia River watershed above the head of tide over a one year time period. Both the Northeast and Northwest Branches drain large suburban and urban land areas that flow into the more urbanized tidal portion of the Anacostia River within Washington, DC. Large volume (40–75 l) water samples were filtered, and the suspended particulate matter and filtrate were analyzed for polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) at sub-nanogram per liter concentrations using ultra-trace analytical methods. Higher amounts of PCBs, PAH, and OCPs in the tidal Anacostia River occurred primarily in the particulate phase during high flow events. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the particulate phase within fluvial transport consisted primarily of pyrogenic homologues characteristic of weathered or combusted petroleum products. Fluxes were exceptionally high for PAHs which showed annual fluxes to the tidal Anacostia River comparable to those determined for the much larger mainstem Potomac River. Aromatic hydrocarbons in runoff from urban regions may serve as an important source of PAH fluxes to the tidal waters of Chesapeake Bay.     

Assessment of organic pollutants (PAH and PCB) in surface water: sediments and shallow groundwater of Grombalia watershed in northeast of Tunisia

Toxic organic compounds in wastewater are serious threats for both human and environment healthy states. This study investigates the potential sources of surface water, sediment and groundwater pollution by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and polychlorinated biphenyl (PCBs) as discharged by wastewater into the River of Oued El bey in northeastern Tunisia. Analysis indicates that the concentration of PAHs and PCBs are high in wastewater and vary from 0.37 to 0.83 mg/L and from 0.28 and 1.18 mg/L, respectively. The spatial distribution of PAHs and PCB in surface water showed a variation between 0.37 to 9.91 mg/L and between 0.1 to 0.47 mg/L, respectively. However, the quality of surface water is changed after wastewater evacuation at Oued Tahouna. The determination of PAH and PCB pollutants in groundwater shows a great interest in the development of water resources. The Concentration of these pollutants varying from 0.0204 to 1.93 mg/L and from 0.0052 to 0.196 mg/L, respectively. For PAH, analysis reveals also that naphtelene, fluorene, anthracene and chrysene are the most detected PAHs compounds in water and sediment samples while benzo[b]fluoranthene and benzo[a]pyrene are less present and in trace level. Higher concentrations of PAHs and PCBs are found in samples taken close to industrial areas of Bouargoub and Soliman, and wastewater discharge locations in Soliman. Analysis of the spatial distribution of PAHs and PCBs clearly link their higher concentration in water and sediments to wastewater and manufacturing discharges in the study area. In surface sediment, the organic pollutants are present. The cluster analysis for organic pollutants in different state and different matrix highlight a relationship between the wastewater evacuation and the water qualities which confirmed the direct response of the pollution sources on the surface water and groundwater organic pollution quality.     

Distribution and ecological risks of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in sediments of different tropical water ecosystems in Niger Delta,Nigeria

Sediments are considered as suitable matrices to study the contamination levels of aquatic environment since they represent a sink for multiple contaminant sources. In this study, the influence of sediment characteristics on the distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and its potential risk in euryhaline, freshwater and humic aquatic bodies of Douglas/Stubbs creek, Ikpa River and Eniong River, respectively, were investigated. The level of PAHs in sediment was quantified using GC–MS, while sediment properties including total organic carbon (TOC) content and grain size were determined by the wet oxidation and hydrometer methods, respectively. The results revealed that the total levels of PAHs in sediment varied significantly between the euryhaline, freshwater and humic freshwater ecosystems. In Ikpa River freshwater ecosystem, a total PAHs load of 1055.2 ng/g was recorded with the suites concentration ranging from 13.0 ng/g (for acenaphthylene) to 161 ng/g (for pyrene). The humic ecosystem of Eniong River had a total PAH load of 11.06 ng/g, while the suites level recorded ranged from 0.04 ng/g for acenaphthene to 2.65 ng/g for chrysene. The total level of PAHs detected in the euryhaline Douglas/Stubbs creek was 14.47 ng/g, and suite concentrations varied between 4.27 ng/g for naphthalene and 5.13 ng/g for acenaphthylene. This shows variation in quantity and quality of PAH contaminants with the nature of ecosystems. It implies complex and diverse contamination sources as well as different capabilities to recover from PAH contamination. Correlation analysis has shown that sediment particle and TOC content influenced PAHs burden in bottom sediments, but the effects varied with the molecular weight of PAHs and the nature of the ecosystems. The TOC was the most significant determinant of PAHs load and distribution in sediment of the freshwater Ikpa River and euryhaline Douglas/Stubbs but had little or no influence in the humic sediment of Eniong River, while the influence of particle size was generally indefinite but slightly associated with PAHs accumulation in the euryhaline sediment. Generally, the total PAH levels (11.0–1055.2 ng/g) recorded were low and below the allowable limit for aquatic sediments. The ecological risk assessment revealed that these levels were lower than the effects range low and effects range medium values. This indicates no acute adverse biological effect although the accumulation of PAHs in freshwater ecosystem of Ikpa River may pose ecological risks as most of the carcinogenic PAH suites had relatively high pollution indices compared to other ecosystem types studied.     

The development of a sterile,PAH-spiked,aged marine sediment for biodegradation experiments: chemical results

The fate of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) mixtures in marine sediments can be difficult to determine due to extraction, analytical and matrix barriers. The purpose of this work was to develop and validate methods to kill indigenous microorganisms in marine sediments, to spike the sediments with a mixture of PAHs in a minimally invasive fashion and to age the treated sediments while following the effects of the treatments on the PAHs and several groups of microorganisms. Following gamma irradiation (0.0, 2.5, 3.5 and 5.0 Mrad), the sediments were mixed with known amounts of PAHs that had been coated onto fine-grained sand. During the subsequent ageing process, levels of extractable PAHs and numbers of microorganisms were monitored. The addition of PAHs to the unirradiated sediment seemed to rapidly induce the degradation of phenanthrene, fluoranthene and pyrene, while these PAHs decreased to a much smaller extent in the irradiated sediments in the 376 days of the experiment. The heavier PAHs, chrysene and benzo(a)pyrene, showed slight decreases in extractable concentrations at all irradiation levels, suggesting PAH sequestration/ageing over time. While some microbial populations recovered rapidly, culturable PAH degraders did not recover at any irradiation level tested and concentrations of light molecular weight PAHs in sediments irradiated at all levels dropped only slightly. This suggests that even the lowest dose (2.5 Mrad) may inhibit PAH degradation sufficiently to permit ageing of the spiked sediments for 6 months to a year. The methods described show promise for the generation of realistic, well-characterized spiked sediments for use in biodegradation and bioavailability experiments.     

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in dated sediments from Green Bay and Lake Michigan

Sediment cores from two locations in Green Bay and two in lake Michigan were analyzed for 12 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), loss-on-ignition (LOI),²¹⁰Pb,¹³⁷Cs, and⁷Be to study differences in deposition patterns between the freshwater estuary Green Bay, with several local sources, and the open Lake Michigan, dominated by atmospheric inputs. We found that the remote sites receive relatively less high-molecular weight PAHs such as ideno(1,2,3-cd)pyrene and dibenz(ah)anthracene and are more depleted in anthracene and pyrene. This may be related to a low Henry’s law constant for the high molecular compounds and to selective photo-oxidation of anthracene and pyrene during transport. While sedimentation rates are higher in Green Bay than in the open lake, the PAH levels are generally comparable (0.3–8.5 μg g^?1) in the two areas. However, the highest PAH levels are found in a core from Green Bay (GB88G). The two Green Bay cores have total PAH concentration maxima in 1985, which appear to be related to the combustion of petroleum. Also, one Green Bay core (GB88G) and the two from Lake Michigan exhibit PAH maxima in the early 1950s in agreement with observations from other study areas. There is a significant correlation between total PAH and LOI, and thus total organic carbon, for the Green Bay cores, but little or no such correlation for the Lake Michigan cores. This may indicate that PAHs in Green Bay are effectively scavenged by settling detritus.