Natural bitumens versus oil pollution in the Vlasina lake peat

Abstract

Free and associated bitumens were isolated by sequential extraction from Vlasina lake peat (SE Serbia) and were investigated in order to differentiate between oil pollution and natural bitumens. Four peat samples were collected at different depths, on a peat island. Gas chromatographic (GC) and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) analysis revealed the presence of three markedly different bitumen fractions. Here we show that the free bitumens are representing the native peat bitumens. The two associated bitumens are mainly the products of bacterial rework of organic substance, which were then trapped by two differing mechanisms. The bitumens characteristics and association features exclude a contribution of oil pollution.

Application оf alkane biological markers in the assessment of the origin of oil pollutants in the soil and recent river sediments (River Vrbas, Bosnia and Herzegovina)

“…The use of these biological markers and δ 13 C PDB for "forensic" purposes, i.e., the distinction of native and anthropogenic organic substance, was demonstrated in previous papers. [3][4][5][6][7][8][9] Moreover, the study of biological markers in oil-type pollution has proved beneficial in terms of assessing its fate in various recent sediment formations, including groundwater and surface waters. By monitoring the change in the abundance and distribution of the alkane and aromatic oil biomarkers under natural conditions, as well as under laboratory-simulated conditions (n-alkanes, isoprenoids, steranes, terpanes, phenanthrenes and their methyl derivatives), the intensity and kinetics of oil biodegradation in the environment, [10][11][12][13] and the mechanism of its migration through "water wet" sediments were estimated.…”