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Chemical characteristics and pollution sources of petroleum hydrocarbons and PAHs in sediments from the Beiluohe River, Northern China

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Environmental Geology

Abstract

To determine the degree of hydrocarbon contamination and the contribution of local petroleum industries to contaminant loadings in sediments from the Beiluohe River, China, 12 surface sediment samples were collected for geochemical analysis in 2005. Sediment samples were extracted by organic solvents, separated by silica gel column chromatography and the profiles of n-alkanes, biomarkers and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in sediments were analyzed by gas chromatography with flame ionization detector and gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy. Concentrations of total hydrocarbons in the sediments varied from 12.1 to 3,761.5 μg g−1 dry wt, indicating that most sediments in Beiluohe River was only slightly to moderately contaminated by hydrocarbons. Concentrations of PAHs for six samples (sum of 16 isomers) varied from 17.7 to 407.7 ng g−1 dry wt and at present low levels of PAHs did not cause adverse biological effects in Beiluohe River sedimentary environment. PAH compositions, n-alkanes and biomarker profiles all suggested that there were different sources of contaminations in studied areas. n-Alkanes reflect two distinct sources: a fossil n-alkane series from crude oil at sites S40, S43, S87 and plantwax n-alkanes at sites S39 and S45. Judged by their PAH ratios, the sediments at site S15 were pyrolytic, sediments at S17 and S43 were petrogenic, and sediments at S39, S40 and S64 had a mixture source of pyrolytic and petrogenic.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Yong Xu, Jianxing Li, Hujun Gong and Yuan Kang, of Northwest University for their assistance in sample collection. We are also thankful to Jialan Lu, Huizhi Zhang, Tongshou Xiang and Jun Li in Guangzhou Institute Geochemistry, for their help in extraction and instrumental analysis. We are also grateful to the reviewers for their helpful comments and reviews.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 510640, Guangzhou, China

    Li Zhang

  2. Department of Geology, Northwest University, 710069, Xi’an, China

    Kelin Shi & Leping Yue

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  1. Li Zhang
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  2. Kelin Shi
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  3. Leping Yue
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Correspondence to Li Zhang.

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Zhang, L., Shi, K. & Yue, L. Chemical characteristics and pollution sources of petroleum hydrocarbons and PAHs in sediments from the Beiluohe River, Northern China. Environ Geol 53, 307–315 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00254-007-0645-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00254-007-0645-6

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