Characteristic Fingerprints of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons and Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons Pollution in Petrochemical Areas

摘要

Anthropogenic effects of crude oil and natural gas exploration have contributed to high concentrations of chemicals of environmental concerns, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). In this study, soil (n=98), water (n=11) and sediment (n=54) samples were collected from regions of active petrochemicals operating facilities in the Niger Delta, with the purpose of categorizing the prevalence of these toxicants in the host environment and to determine the source of each, using isometric ratios . The collected samples were analyzed for PAHs. The total concentrations of 17 PAHS (∑17_(TOTAL)PAHs) in the soil samples ranged from 613.9 – 5947 ± 794.9 mg/kg. The concentration of the 7 potential carcinogenic PAHs (∑7_(CARC)PAHs) in the soils varied from 297 – 4080.6 ± 546.3 mg/kg with a median of 419 mg/kg. The ∑17_(TOTAL)PAHs concentrations in total water samples varied from 119.8 – 450.0± 117.9 mg/L, while the sediment concentrations ranged from 6.0-132.0±28.7 mg/L. Isometric ratios indicate that the source of PAHs in the Niger Delta area is mainly from petrogenic sources with a mixture of some pyrolytic inputs.