scholarly journals Fractionation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons at geochemical barriers

Author(s):  
Aleksandr P. Khaustov ◽  
◽  
Margarita M. Redina ◽  

The purpose of the study was to identify patterns of fractionation at geochemical barriers (GCB) of associations of marker compounds - polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Based on thermodynamic parameters, the throughput of GCB in geochemical systems (GCS) in relation to organic substances at the molecular level is analyzed. PAHs are very informative indicators of the properties of GCB (up to singular surfaces). The processes of migration and selective penetration through GCB of 15 PAHs from the list of priority pollutants recommended by the US Environmental Protection Agency (widely used in the world EPA list): Naphthalene (Naph), acenaphthene (Ace), Fluorene (Flourene), Phenanthrene (Phen), Anthracene (An), Fluoranthene (Flu), Pyrene (Py), Benzo(a)Anthracene (BaA), Chrysene (Chr), Benzo(b)Fluoranthene (BbFlu), Benzo(k)fluoranthhene (BkFlu), Benzo(a)pyrene (BaP), benzo(ghi)perylene (Bghi), Dibenzo(a, h) anthracene (DbA), Indeno(1,2-cd)pyrene (Ip). Being geochemical markers, these compounds can accumulate on barriers and selectively penetrate through them, making them especially important objects of study. Despite numerous studies, these mechanisms of mass transfer have not been sufficiently studied. The types of GCB have been identified in terms of their permeability to PAHs. It is shown that the functions of GCB in systems are much more significant and consist not only in the separation of systems from the external environment and the regulation of mass transfer. The above models of migration and accumulation are based on quantitative estimates, which makes the results more reasonable in comparison with the “conceptual” representations of the behavior of substances on GCB in most studies. The most important point - the influence of the medium contact time for establishing a stable state (stability by the migration of compounds) on GCB has been demonstrated.

2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (4) ◽  
pp. 394-401 ◽  
Author(s):  
Weihua Gu ◽  
Jianfeng Bai ◽  
Wenyi Yuan ◽  
En Ma ◽  
Chenglong Zhang ◽  
...  

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are considered to be persistent organic pollutants, which pose a great threat to human health and the surrounding environment. In order to explore the influence of informal electronic waste (e-waste) dismantling activities on inhabitants who live nearby, soil samples were collected from informal e-waste dismantling areas in Xinqiao, China and analysed for 16 United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) priority PAHs. Results indicated that the 16 USEPA priority PAHs were found at all seven sampling locations. Sampling location 3, which was only 10 m away from a residential area, had 1053.69 μg kg−1 of PAHs and seriously exceeded the standard value specified by the Netherlands. The total percents of 4-ring and 5-ring PAHs accounted for 61.74 and 71.70%, respectively, indicating that most of the detected PAHs belonged to high-ring PAHs. The informal e-waste dismantling activities are the major sources of soil PAHs in Xinqiao. Furthermore, the concentration of seven carcinogenic PAHs was 114.76 μg kg−1 and represented a potential health risk to humans. Thereinto, benzo[a]pyrene contributed the most, accounting for more than 50% in these locations. Our results may provide a reference about the influence of informal e-waste dismantling activities on the surrounding inhabitants and suggest that e-waste dismantling activities must be conducted in a formal enterprise which is far away from residential areas.


Author(s):  
Rodrigo Mundo ◽  
Tetsuya Matsunaka ◽  
Hisanori Iwai ◽  
Shouzo Ogiso ◽  
Nobuo Suzuki ◽  
...  

To improve the understanding of the emission sources and pathways of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the coastal environments of remote areas, their particulate and dissolved concentrations were analyzed on a monthly basis from 2015 to 2018 in surface waters of Nanao Bay, Japan. The concentration of the targeted 13 species of PAHs on the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) priority pollutant list in dissolved and particle phases were separately analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled to a fluorescence detector. Particulate and dissolved PAHs had average concentrations of 0.72 ng∙L−1 and 0.95 ng∙L−1, respectively. While most of the samples were lower than 1 ng∙L−1, abnormally high levels up to 10 ng∙L−1 were observed in the winter of 2017–2018 for particulate PAHs. Based on the isomer ratios of Flu to Flu plus Pyr, it was possible to determine that the pyrogenic loads were greater than the petrogenic loads in all but four out of 86 samples. The predominant environmental pathway for PAHs in winter was determined to be long-range atmospheric transportation fed by the East Asian winter monsoon, while for the summer, local sources were more relevant. By the risk quotients method, it was determined that PAHs in surface seawater presented a very low risk to marine life during the interannual survey.


Molecules ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (8) ◽  
pp. 1815 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aleksandra Ukalska-Jaruga ◽  
Karolina Lewińska ◽  
Elton Mammadov ◽  
Anna Karczewska ◽  
Bożena Smreczak ◽  
...  

The aim of this study was to identify and examine the levels of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in soil collected from the surroundings of historical pesticide storage facilities on former agricultural aerodromes, warehouses, and pesticide distribution sites located in the most important agricultural regions in Azerbaijan. The conducted research included determination of three groups of POPs (occurring together), in the natural soil environment influenced for many years by abiotic and biotic factors that could have caused their transformations or decomposition. In this study, soil samples were collected in 21 georeferenced points located in the administrative area of Bilasuvar, Saatly, Sabirabad, Salyan and Jalilabad districts of Azerbaijan. Soil chemical analysis involved determination of organochlorine compounds (OCP): hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs) (three isomers α-HCH, β-HCH and γ-HCH) and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethanes (DDTs) (six congeners 2,4′DDT; 4,4′DDT; 2,4′DDE; 4,4′DDE; 2,4′DDE; and 4,4′DDE); polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs): 16 compounds from the United States Environmental Protection Agency US EPA list and, PCBs (seven congeners identified with the following IUPAC numbers: 28, 52, 101, 118, 138, 153, and 180). Our research showed that OCPs reached the highest concentration in the studied areas. The total concentrations of OCPs ranged from 0.01 to 21,888 mg∙kg−1 with significantly higher concentrations of Σ6DDTs (0.01 μg kg−1 to 21880 mg kg−1) compared to ΣHCH (0.14 ng kg−1 to 166.72 µg kg−1). The total concentrations of PCBs in the studied soils was varied from 0.02 to 147.30 μg·kg−1 but only PCB138 and PCB180 were detected in all analyzed samples. The concentrations of Σ16 PAHs were also strongly diversified throughout the sampling areas and ranged from 0.15 to 16,026 mg kg−1. The obtained results confirmed that the agricultural soils of Azerbaijan contained much lower (up to by three orders of magnitude) concentrations of PCBs and PAHs than DDT. It is supported by the fact that PCBs and PAHs were not directly used by agriculture sector and their content results from secondary sources, such as combustion and various industrial processes. Moreover, the high concentrations of PAHs in studied soils were associated with their location in direct neighborhood of the airport, as well as with accumulation of contaminants from dispersed sources and long range transport. The high concentrations of pesticides confirm that deposition of parent OCPs have occurred from obsolete pesticide landfills.


2006 ◽  
Vol 63 (6) ◽  
pp. 1320-1333 ◽  
Author(s):  
Henrik Sundberg ◽  
Rasha Ishaq ◽  
Ulla Tjärnlund ◽  
Gun Åkerman ◽  
Kerstin Grunder ◽  
...  

In a series of bio-effect-directed fractionation experiments, we investigated the potential toxicity of sediment extracts from a contaminated bay. A previous study investigated abnormalities and hepatic ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase (EROD) activities in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) larvae by exposing newly fertilized eggs to the total extract and to fractions separated by degree of aromaticity. A major part of the potential toxicity was isolated in a fraction containing polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs). In this study, we prepared a synthetic PAC mixture with 17 commonly analyzed polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in amounts equimolar to those found in the sediment PAC fraction. The 17 PAHs, which included 11 of the 16 United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) priority PAHs, were unable to account for the toxicopathic effects observed and could explain less than 4% of the total EROD induction. The lack of a clear relationship between toxicopathic effects and EROD induction underlines the need for a battery of biomarkers for estimating environmental risk. These results reveal the limits of our knowledge regarding compounds responsible for potential toxicity in field situations.


2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (No. 2) ◽  
pp. 74-82 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Kuang ◽  
Y. Su ◽  
J. Zhang ◽  
Z. Song ◽  
H. Wang ◽  
...  

The concentrations of 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which are on the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) priority pollutant list, were studied in ten different soil samples from Shengli Oil Field, China. The total PAHs concentrations in the sampled soils attained 1214.9–2965.1 ng/g (2159.6 ng/g on average). The highest total PAHs concentration was in the soil with a huge content of oil sludge, while the lowest was in fine soil environment areas. The soil contamination with PAHs in the study areas was classified as severe. The major pollutants were naphthalene, phenathrene, fluorine (Flu), pyrene (Pyr), while the detected concentration of benzo(a)pyrene (BaP), benzo(b)fluoranthene was relatively low. Among the 16 kinds of PAHs, the concentration increased in the order: 6 rings < 5 rings < 4 rings < 2 rings < 3 rings. The ratios of Flu/(Flu + Pyr) and indeno benzene(1,2,3-c,d)pyrene (IP)/(IP + BaP) were 0.46–0.48, and 0.36–0.64, respectively. Our results suggest that the main sources of PAHs were petroleum extraction and petroleum combustion. In addition, a small amount of PAHs originated from combustion of grass, woods, and coal.  


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 531-543
Author(s):  
Pedro José Sanches Filho ◽  
Julia Arduim ◽  
Glauco Rasmussen Betemps ◽  
Gabriela Oliveira Andrade ◽  
Ricardo Correa da Silva da Silva

This study evaluates the presence and levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Achyrocline Satureioides (inflorescences and infusions) using extraction under ultrasound accompanied by clean up with solid phase extraction (SPE) and gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry. Sixteen priority PAHs were listed as priority contaminants by the United States Environmental Protection Agency and PAHs (Benzo(a)Anthracene, Chrysene, Benzo(b)Fluoranthene, Benzo(a)Pyrene) were chosen as indicators by the European Food Safety Agency for the presence of PAHs in food. The HPAs concentrations ranged from 48.1 µg Kg-1 ± 1.4% to 48.8 µg Kg-1 ± 1.9% in Achyrocline Satureioides inflorescences. The total concentration in infusions of PAHs was 2.5 µg L-1 ± 6.3%. The sum of the priority PAHs in Achyrocline Satureioides samples ranged from 126.8 µg Kg-1 ± 13.6% and 218.9 µg Kg-1 ± 16.1% and infusion had a value of 10.0 µg L-1 ± 8.1%. The PAH concentrations in tea infusions are lower when compared with other food matrices, but the migration of these compounds for tea is high, resulting in levels that may cause damage to health.


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