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

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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 × 104 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.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, P.O. Box 417, Wenhua Road 72, Shenyang, 110016, Peoples’ Republic of China

    **aojun Li, Peijun Li, Zongqiang Gong, Shuxiu Fan & Le Zheng

  2. Key Lab. Of Environmental Engineering, Shenyang, 110044, Peoples’ Republic of China

    Peijun Li & **n Lin

  3. Institute of Earth Crust, Siberian Branch of Russian Academy of Science, st. Lermontova, Irkutsk, 128, Russia

    E. A. Verkhozina

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  1. **aojun Li
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  2. Peijun Li
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  3. **n Lin
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  4. Zongqiang Gong
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  5. Shuxiu Fan
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  6. Le Zheng
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  7. E. A. Verkhozina
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Correspondence to **aojun Li.

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Li, X., Li, P., Lin, X. et al. Spatial distribution and sources of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in soils from typical oil-sewage irrigation area, Northeast China. Environ Monit Assess 143, 257–265 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-007-9974-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-007-9974-x

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