Occurrence and source apportionment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in soils and sediment from Hanfeng Lake, Three Gorges, China

ABSTRACT

This study was conducted to investigate the pollutant status and the retention mechanism of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in soils and sediment from bank–water-level-fluctuating zone (WLFZ)–water systems in Hanfeng Lake, Three Gorges, China. The concentrations of the 16 PAHs ranged from 21.8 to 1324 ng g⁻¹ dry wt for all 20 soil and sediment samples. These concentration levels were remarkably lower than those in soils and sediment collected domestically and worldwide. PAHs with two and three rings were found to be dominant in all the samples, with phenanthrene being most abundant. The spatial distribution of PAHs in bank soil, WLFZ soil, and sediment implied that the transfer and fate of PAHs in the bank soil–WLFZ soil–sediment systems were influenced by both water dynamic factors and physicochemical properties of PAHs. Diagnostic ratio analysis and principal component analysis suggested that the PAHs in the areas of Hanfeng Lake were primarily (>75%) derived from coal combustion and vehicle emissions . Use of natural gas, improving gasoline/diesel quality and phasing out old and nonstandard vehicles and ships are proposed to control PAH contamination and protect drinking water safety in the region.

KEYWORDS:

• Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
• sediment
• soil
• water-level-fluctuating zone

Funding

This study was financially supported by the National Natural Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars (Grant No. 41225013) and the State Key Program of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 41130752). This is contribution no. IS-2417 from GIGCAS.