Distribution and origin of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in surfacesediments from an urban river basin at the MetropolitanRegion of Curitiba, Brazil
Natalicio Ferreira Leite , Patricio Peralta-Zamora , Marco Tadeu Grassi , Yutao Zhang
DOI:
Received July 21, 2010,Revised November 01, 2010, Accepted , Available online
Volume 23,2011,Pages 904-911
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The concentrations of 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were determined in surface sediment samples from nine sites
located at the Iguac?u River Basin in the Metropolitan Region of Curitiba, Brazil to evaluate their distribution and sources. The total
concentration of the PAHs was greater for sediments from highly urbanized areas, while the sediments from the Ira′? Environmental
Protection Area (Ira′? EPA) showed significantly low concentrations. The sediments from the Iguac?u and Barigui rivers were classified
as highly contaminated, while those from the Cercado and Curralinho rivers were classified as moderately contaminated. The
predominance of PAHs containing two to four aromatic rings in most of the samples suggested the direct input of raw sewage into the
water resources evaluated. Benzo[g,h,i]perylene, dibenzo[a,h]anthracene and indeno[1,2,3-cd]pyrene were predominant in sediments
from the areas under the greatest urban and industrial development. The correlation between thermodynamic stability and the kinetics
of evolution presented by the isomeric pairs indicated that combustion is the predominant source of PAHs in the sediments because the
combustion of fossil fuels affected most of the points evaluated, followed by combustion of biomass and eventually combustion of oil
product inputs. In general, the results showed that areas under strong urban influence, as well as the Ira′? EPA, receive contributions of
PAHs from similar sources.
