Occurrence and distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in surface water and sediments of the Danube River and its tributaries, Hungary

Abstract

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were identified and quantified in surface water and sediments from 9 sites in the Hungarian upper section of the Danube River and its tributaries in autumn 2012. The total PAH concentrations (sum of the concentrations of 17 individual PAH compounds) in water samples ranged from 67 to 96 ng L(-1), which were predominated by two- and three-ring PAHs. The total PAH concentrations in sediments ranged from 35.2 to 288.3 ng g(-1) dw. Four-ring PAHs including fluoranthene and pyrene were the dominant species in sediment samples. The spatial distribution of PAHs in sediments was site-specific. The highest benzo[a]pyrene equivalent concentration was determined at the site located near a hazardous waste incinerator. However, the comparison of the total PAH concentrations determined with other sections of the Danube River and the environmental quality standards revealed that the PAH concentrations are relatively low in the Hungarian upper section. A selected number of concentration ratios of specific PAH compounds reflected a pattern of pyrogenic input as a major source of PAHs.

Estimation of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons Pollution in Mediterranean Sea from Volturno River, Southern Italy: Distribution, Risk Assessment and Loads

“…The amount of ΣPAHs in the DP samples (64.3-1429.1 ng L −1 ) was much higher than those found in other rivers of the world (Table 2) as in the Xijiang River [43], in the Yellow River [44], in the Songhua River, China [45], in the Wyre River, England [46], in the Elbe and Weser Rivers, Germany [47], and in the Tiber River, Italy [34,48].However, the PAHs were present in smaller quantities than those found in the Daliao River [49], in the Yellow River [50], in the Songhua River [51], in the Daliao River estuary, China [52], in the Gomti River, India [53], in the Cauca River, Colombia [8], in the Almendares River, Cuba [54], and in the Buffalo River estuary, South Africa [55]. The PAHs concentrations found inthis study are similar to those seen in the Henan Reach of Yellow River, China [56], in the Danube River, Hungary [57], and in the Sarno River [26]…”

“…Table 2 shows the concentration ranges of PAHs found in several rivers around the world. The comparison showed that the amount of ΣPAHs in the sediment samples (434.8-872.1 ng g −1 ) was similar to those found in the Yellow River, China [50], in the Erjien River, Taiwan [60], and was greater than the concentration found in the East China Sea, China [61], in the Yellow River and in the Henan Reach of Yellow River, China [44,56], in the Yellow River Estuary, China [62], in the Danube River, Hungary [57],and in Italy, in the Tiber River [34,48,63] and in the Sarno River [26]. However, the amount of ΣPAHs in the sediment samples was lower than the concentration found in the Daliao River, China [49], in the Cocó and Ceará Rivers, Brazil [64], in the Cauca River, Colombia [8], in the Buffalo River Estuary, South Africa [55], in the Ammer River, Germany [9], and in Durance River and Huveaune River, France [65,66].…”

“…HMW-PAHs in SPM samples rised to 57%, while in DP samples was just 38%. In accordance with the PAHs distribution theory, data showed that HMW compounds were mainly sorbed by SPM due to the elevated lipophilicity and poor biodegradation [48,51,57]. According to the partition coefficients (K p = C SPM /C DP , where C SPM and C DP are the concentrations of analyte in SPM and DP, respectively), HMW-PAHs had a higher affinity to bind with SPM than DP (average value of 0.80, 0.96, and 1.00, respectively for 4-, 5-, 6-ring PAHs).…”

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Weihe River, a Typical River in Arid and Semi-Arid Region of Northwest China: Trends of Pollution and Risk

“…Compared with other polluted rivers in the world, the mean concentrations of ∑PAHs (278.4 ng/L) in WDP from Weihe River in 2015 were much higher than those found in the Yellow River Delta in China (121 ng/L) [15], in Jinjiang River in China (53.2 ng/L) [17], in Soltan Abad River in Iran (142.06 ng/L) [25], Compared with other polluted rivers in the world, the mean value of ∑PAHs in sediment from Weihe River (539.1 ng/g in 2016 and 1,340 ng/g in 2015) were higher than those found in Guan River Estuary (China) (133 ng/g) [18], in Qiantang River (China) (313 ng/g) [13], in Tiber River (Italy) (155.3±134.1 ng/g) [2], in Danube River (Hungary) (170.0 ng/g) [31] and in Ibirité Reservoir (Brazil) (129.5 ng/g) [32]. Values higher than those found in this river were found in Tianjing River (China) (10,980 ng/g) [33], in Pearl River (China) (4892 ng/g) [12], in Prai River (Malaysia) (4357 ng/g) in Elbe and Weser Rivers in Germany (10-40 ng/L) [26] and in Danube River in Hungary (122.6 ng/L) [27]. However, the mean total concentrations of ∑PAHs in WDP were lower than those found in Sarno River (739 ng/L) (Italy) [3], in Henan Reach of Yellow River in China (662 ng/L) [14], in Chenab River in Pakistan (629.47 ng/L in summer; 744.39 ng/L in winter) [28], in Gomti River in India (10,330 ng/L) [29], in Almendares River in Cuba (2512.0 ng/L) [30] and in Cauca River in Colombia (2344.5 ng/L) [31].…”

Estimation of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons pollution, risk assessment and loads into Mediterranean Sea from Volturno River, Southern Italy.

“…Compared with the water of polluted rivers in other parts of the world (Table 2), the concentration of ΣPAHs in the the Volturno River dissolved phase (64.3-1429.1 ng L − 1 ) was much higher than those found in the Xijiang River, China by Deng et al [39], in the Yellow River (China) by Li et al [40], in the Songhua River (China) by Ma et al [41], in the Wyre River, England by Moeckel et al [42], in the Elbe and Weser Rivers, Germany by Siemers et al [43], in the Marseilles coastal area, France by Guigue et al [44] and in the Tiber River (Italy) by Patrolecco et al [45] and Montuori et al [22]; these levels were however lower than those found in the Daliao River, China by et al [46], in the Yellow River (China) by Zhao et al [47], in the Songhua River (China) by Zhao et al [48], in the Daliao River estuary (China) by Zheng et al [49], in the Gomti River, India by Malik et al [50], in the Cauca River, Colombia by Sarria-Villa et al [8], in the Almendares River, Cuba by Santana et al [51] and in the Buffalo River estuary, South Africa by Adeniji et al [52]. Based on these results, the levels of PAHs in the dissolved phase in the Volturno River are comparable to those found in the Henan Reach of Yellow River, China by Sun et al [53], in the Gulf of Tunis, Tunisia by Mzoughi and Chouba [54], in the Danube River, Hungary by Nagy et al [55] and in the Sarno River by Montuori and Triassi [22]. The proportion of high molecular weight PAHs increased to 57%, much above than in dissolved samples, where it was 38%.…”