TITLE:
Determination of PAHs in Surface Waters from the Doce and Piracicaba Rivers in Brazil
AUTHORS:
Aniel da Costa Lima, Fernanda Fernandes Heleno, Robson José de Cássia Franco Afonso, Mauricio Xavier Coutrim
KEYWORDS:
Monitoring, Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons, Water Quality
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Water Resource and Protection,
Vol.7 No.5,
March
26,
2015
ABSTRACT: Sixteen
polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were determined in water samples from the
Piracicaba River and the Doce River in the municipality of Ipatinga, Minas
Gerais State, Brazil. The polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were extracted by
solid-phase extraction and were analyzed by high-performance liquid
chromatographic with diode-array detector. The limit of detection was as low as
1.3 ng·L-1. All polycyclic aromatic
hydrocarbons were found above the limit of quantification in water from at
least four of the eight sampling points. Benzo[a]pyrene and chrysene were found
at concentrations up to 80% above the limit set by Brazilian and European
environmental legislation (0.05 μg·L-1). The isomer ratios of the
compounds indicated that crude oil and combustion processes were the main
sources of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.