Molecular, 13C, and 14C evidence for the allochthonous and ancient origin of C 16C 18n-alkanes in modern soils

Abstract

The heterogeneous isotopic composition of C 3 and C 4 plants can be used to to follow the fate of plant carbon into soil organic molecules. Thus, after 23 years of maize cropping (C 4) on a soil which was previously under C 3 vegetation, C 25C 33 soil n-alkanes are 13C-enriched up to 9ℵ. relatively to the initial C 3 soil, reflecting the input of 13C-enriched n-alkanes from maize waxes. In sharp contrast, C 16C 18 soil n-alkanes do not show any significant 13C/ 12C variation over the same time interval. This absence of isotopic variation, along with consideration of their relative concentration, absolute concentration, and biodegradability, demonstrate that these substances must represent a regular input from an external source. Evidence of a large contribution of an ancient source, amounting to more than 65% of the alkane fraction, is given by a 14C-age of 8510 yrs bp. Moreover, short-chain n-alkanes from soils, diesel fuel, diesel automobile exhaust, and petroleum products exhibit similar distributions and δ 13C values. These findings suggests that C 16C 18 soil n-alkanes represent a non-point source pollution of ancient hydrocarbons either carried by aerosols or entering the soil via continuous hydrocarbon seepage from the deep sedimentary rocks of the Paris basin.