Monitoring of tar balls pollutants in the coasts of Egyptian Red Sea

ABSTRACT

The coasts of the Red Sea are attractive for their clear water and are vital for marine activities. However the coasts are under constant threat of petroleum pollution in the form of heavy tar balls, which may result from petroleum activities. Six tar balls samples were studied to assess the pollution and to evaluate the hydrocarbons origin with emphasis on the polyaromatic hydrocarbons separated from the tar balls. The saturates were analyzed using gas chromatography. High-performance liquid chromatography was used to study the polyaromatic hydrocarbon fingerprints. The results obtained indicate the absence of low polyaromatic hydrocarbons.

KEYWORDS:

• Coasts of Red Sea
• hydrocarbons
• PAHs
• petroleum pollution
• polyaromatic hydrocarbons
• tar balls