Environmental distribution of PAHs in pine needles, soils, and sediments

• Type: Article in International Scientific Journal
• Date: 2012

Authors

Alícia Navarro Ortega (Author) Other; Nuno Ratola (Author) FEUP; Alain Hildebrandt (Author) Other; Arminda Alves (Author) FEUP; Sílvia Lacorte (Author) Other; Damià Barceló (Author) Other

Journal

Title: Environmental Science and Pollution Research

Serial No. 3 Vol. 19 No. 9

Pages: 677-688

ISSN: 0944-1344

Publisher: Springer Nature

Indexing

ISI Web of Knowledge - 20 Citations

ISI Web of Science

Scopus - 24 Citations

Scientific classification

FOS: Natural sciences > Earth and related Environmental sciences

Associated Projects

SAFEPINE - SAFEPINE - Avaliação da contaminação de pinheiros por poluentes emergentes

Other information

Authenticus ID: P-002-C9C

DOI: 10.1007/s11356-011-0610-5

Abstract (EN): Introduction The content of 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) was determined in 60 samples from three environmental matrices (soils, sediments, and pine needles) in an effort to assess their distribution on a river basin scale. Methods A sampling campaign was carried out in 2006, selecting urban, industrial, and agricultural sampling sites along the northeast of Spain. Techniques used included pressurized liquid extraction and solid-liquid ultrasonic extraction followed by gas chromatography-electron impact ionization mass spectrometry. Results The mean total PAHs concentrations were 290<613<1,628 ng/g (dry weight) in pine needles, soil, and sediments, respectively. There is a good correspondence between the total concentration of soils and pine needles, as opposed to the levels between sediments and pine needles. The high concentrations found in some Pinus halepensis samples may reflect a superior uptake potential of this species in comparison to the others studied. The three matrices present a very different PAH distribution pattern, with pine needles showing a predominance of the lighter (2-, 3-, and 4-ring) PAHs, whereas 5- and 6-ring PAHs are the most abundant in soils. Sediments display a more heterogeneous pattern, with contributions of all the PAHs but different distribution depending on the site, suggesting a wider range of input sources. Established PAH molecular ratios and principal component analysis were used to identify the origins and profiles of PAHs. While sediments showed a wide range attributed to historical inputs, soils and pine needles confirmed the compartmentalization of the PAHs, with lighter airborne PAHs accumulated in pine needles and heavier ones in soils. Conclusions It can be suggested that the monitoring of several matrices is a strong tool to elucidate the contamination sources and accumulation patterns of PAHs. However, given the influence of the matrix type on this assessment, the information should be considered complementary, yet allowing a more comprehensive depiction of the area in question.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific

No. of pages: 12