Open AccessAssessment of Urban Pollution with PAHs’ by Snow Analysis
Author(s) -
Livia Alhafez,
Edward Muntean,
Nicoleta Muntean
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
bulletin of university of agricultural sciences and veterinary medicine cluj-napoca. agriculture
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1843-5386
pISSN - 1843-5246
DOI - 10.15835/buasvmcn-agr:8738
Subject(s) - chrysene , fluoranthene , pyrene , phenanthrene , fluorene , environmental chemistry , anthracene , chemistry , perylene , organic chemistry , molecule , polymer
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a group of environmentally persistent organic pollutants with various structures and varied toxicity. As the urban snowpack can act as a collector device for atmospheric-deposited PAHs, the objectives of this study were to establish the PAH distribution and to identify their sources based on PAH profile and isomer ratios. The determined PAHs included naphtalene, acenaphtene, fluorene, phenanthrene, anthracene, pyrene, benzo(a)anthracene, chrysene, benzo(b)fluoranthene, benzo(k)fluoranthene, benzo(a) pyrene, dibenzo(a,h)anthracene, benzo(g,h,i)perylene, indeno(1,2,3-c,d)pyrene. Snow samples were collected from three areas located in Cluj Napoca, Romania (Manastur area, city center and Marasti area) during the winter period 2011-2012; meltwater samples were extracted with hexane using liquid-liquid extraction, being then analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography, with an Agilent 1100 system with fluorescence detection, separations being accomplished on an Envirosep PP column in a total run time less than 30 minutes. The obtained results revealed relative high levels pyrene, chrysene and benzo(b)fluoranthene, which are associated with combustion processes in Manastur area, while in Marasti area the major PAHs concentrations (fluorene, phenanthrene and chrysene) are related with traffic.