Abstract
Street dusts collected from 20 sites as well as three special dust samples collected from chimney of coal-fired plant, smelter and refinery of nonferrous metals and automobile exhaust, respectively, in the Chang-Zhu-Tan (Changsha, Zhuzhou and Xiangtan) urban region, Hunan, China, in May to August 2009, were investigated for sources of polycylic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The ΣPAHs16 levels were in the range of 3515 - 24488 ng/g, with a mean of 8760 ng/g. The sources of PAH inputs to street dusts were determined by isomer ratios, principal components analysis and REE geochemical analysis. The isomer ratios suggested a rather uniform mixture of coal combustion and petroleum PAH sources. Factor analysis indicated that the main sources of 16 PAHs were coal combustion/vehicle exhaust and coking/ petroleum. Rare earth elements (REE) and Factor score analysis further indicated the possible dust sources were from background soil, coal or coking combustion, nonferrous metal factories, traffic exhaust.
Highlights
Street dusts collected from 20 sites as well as three special dust samples collected from chimney of coal-fired plant, smelter and refinery of nonferrous metals and automobile exhaust, respectively, in the Chang-Zhu-Tan (Changsha, Zhuzhou and Xiangtan) urban region, Hunan, China, in May to August 2009, were investigated for sources of polycylic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)
The PAH concentrations have been compared with results in street dust from other sites reported in literature (Table 2)
Compared with the results in street from other sites reported in literature (Table 2), the average concentration of Benzo[a]pyrene in this region (547 ng/g) was higher than those in USA (260 ng/g, [22]) and Macao (300 ng g-1, [23]), it was lower than the concentration of Shanghai (1280 ng/g [5])
Summary
The number and diversity of contaminants in our urban environment have significantly increased in recent years [1]. Sources in the urban environment include industrial emissions and wastes, power plants, wood and coal, home heating with fuel oil, vehicles, mineral/crude oil extraction and petroleum refining processes [11] as well as pavement sealants, known as sealcoat [12].The recognition of these anthropogenic sources was very important for improving city management. In this respect, PAH isomer pair ratios had been widely used to elucidate the possible sources. The rare earth elements (REEs) are well known for their unique, chemically
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