Spatial distribution and sources of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in soils from typical oil-sewage irrigation area, Northeast China

Abstract

Spatial distribution and sources of 16 priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (16 EPA-PAHs) in soils were studied in Shenfu Irrigation Area (SIA) located at northeast of China. SIA (1.3 x 10(4) ha) was an important agricultural farmland irrigated with oil-sewage since the 1960s. Soil profiles at 91 sites controlling all SIA were sampled. The results demonstrated that four- and five-ring PAHs accounted for 71.2% and 73.0% of the total PAHs in surface (0-20 cm) and subsurface (20-30 cm) soil, respectively. Phenanthrene (Phe), Fluoranthene (Fla), Pyrene (Pyr), Benzo(b)fluoranthene (BbF), benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) were identified as five dominant individual PAHs. Generally, there was a decreasing trend in concentrations of 16 EPA-PAHs from upper to lower reaches (by distance away from source) within 0.6-12.36 mg kg(-1) and 0.04-4.99 mg kg(-1) in surface and subsurface soil, respectively. The concentrations of 16 EPA-PAHs in the surface soil were threefold higher than those in the subsurface soil. A combination of grass, wood or coal combustion and petroleum combustion in surface soil and a combination of grass, wood or coal combustion and petroleum sources in subsurface soil might be the most significant contributors of 16 EPA-PAHs in SIA, indicating different pollution periods.