Identification of petroleum hydrocarbon contamination in the Egyptian Mediterranean seashore

摘要

Surface water samples and intertidal sediment samples from Marsa Matrouh seashore were analyzed in 1999 for petroleum hydrocarbons. Analyses were carried out on the extracted oils by capillary gas chromatography (GC) and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Levels of petrolum hydrocarbons in sediment samples ranged from 9.6 μg/g, to 57.2 μg/g., whereas for water samples varied from 1.28 mg/L to 14.57 mg/L. Components of polycylic aromatic hydrocarbons were detected and assessed in the studied samples such as benzo (a) pyrene, indeno (1,2,3-cd) pyrene, benzo (K) fluoranthene and dibenzo (a,h) anthracene. Total PAHS in sediments ranged from 3.2 ng/g up to 3371 ng/g dry weight and for surface water sampels varied from 80.26 to 313.09 μg/L. Gas chromatographic analysis reveals numerous inputs of petroleum products including crude oils and fuel oils.