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Distributions and potential sources of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in surface sediments from an emerging industrial city (Xinxiang)

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Abstract

To investigate the distributions, degree, and possible sources of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in bed sediments from four rivers of Xinxiang, 18 sediment samples were analyzed. The concentrations ranged from 4.45 × 103 to 29.0 × 103 ng/g for ∑15PAHs (sum of US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) priority PAHs apart from naphthalene (Nap)) and 3.37 × 103 to 23.5 × 103 ng/g for ∑7carPAHs (including benzo[a]anthracene (BaA), chrysene (Chr), benzo[b]fluoranthene (BbF), benzo[k]fluoranthene (BkF), benzo[a]pyrene (BaP), dibenzo[a,h]anthracene (DBA), and indeno[1,2,3-cd]pyrene (InP)) with average concentrations of 10.7 × 103 and 7.99 × 103 ng/g, respectively. Compared with those from other rivers in China, sediments from four rivers of Xinxiang were severely polluted with PAHs. Pearson correlation analysis showed that ∑15PAHs concentrations had a significant positive correlation with black carbon content. Four- to six-ring PAHs accounted for 83.4 % of total PAHs, which indicated that the main source of PAHs in the studied area could be pyrogenic contamination. Source apportionment using PCA/MLR and UNMIX revealed that coal and biomass combustion contributed 64.4–67.1 %, gasoline vehicle 23.2–27.2 %, and diesel vehicle 5.70–12.4 % of the total PAHs, respectively. The effects range low/effects range median (ERL/ERM) values showed that there was a high level of toxicity risk for BaA. The ecological risk assessment by mean effects range median quotients (mERMQ) revealed a medium ecological risk of ∑15PAHs in sediments from four rivers of Xinxiang, manifesting that a close attention should be paid to pollution of PAHs in the studied area.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the National Scientific Foundation of China (Grant No. 41103071), Program for Science & Technology Innovation talents in universities of Henan Province (14HASTIT049), and Foundation for University Key Teacher by Henan Province (2013GGJS-059).

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  1. School of Environment, Henan Normal University, Key Laboratory for Yellow River and Huai River Water Environment and Pollution Control, Ministry of Education, Henan Key Laboratory for Environmental Pollution Control, Xinxiang, 453007, Henan, People’s Republic of China

    Jinglan Feng, Nannan Xi, Fei Zhang, Jiahui Zhao, Pengtuan Hu & Jianhui Sun

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  1. Jinglan Feng
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Feng, J., Xi, N., Zhang, F. et al. Distributions and potential sources of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in surface sediments from an emerging industrial city (Xinxiang). Environ Monit Assess 188, 61 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-015-5060-y

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