Composition, Concentration and Origin of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Waters and Bottom Sediments of Lake Baikal and Its Tributaries

Abstract

The aim of this study was the systematization and generalization of data obtained by authors during the last decade and the comparison of these data with those obtained by other authors. Gas chromatography (GC-MS) was used for the determination of PAHs and the positive matrix factorization (PMF) model and principal component analysis (PCA) were used for source apportionment of PAHs. It was found that the total concentration of 16 priority PAHs in surface waters varied from 5 to 200 ng/L, whereas the concentration of 16 PAHs in bottom sediments varied from 50 to 700 ng/g. The 2–3-ring PAHs were dominant in water, whereas the 4–6-ring PAHs were dominant in sediments. That was due to PAHs fractionation in the soil–water system. The source apportionment results showed that the PAHs in both water and sediments mostly originated from the combustion of biomass and fossil fuels. In contrast to sediments, there was a PAH fraction in water that did not originate from a single source. The pollution of freshwater ecosystems manifested itself in the lack of correlation between values of octanol/water partitioning coefficients and sediment/water partitioning coefficients of PAHs.

Occurrence and Sources of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons and Factors Influencing Their Accumulation in Surface Sediment of a Deep-Sea Depression, Namely, the Tatar Trough (Tatar Strait, the Sea of Japan)

“…Water 2023, 15, x FOR PEER REVIEW 10 of 19 abundant individual PAHs were Chr, Phe, and BaA. At all locations, HMW PAHs (4-6 ring) prevailed, accounting for an average of 65%; similar dominance has been seen in other studies [45,[63][64][65]. The lack of low molecular weight (LMW) PAHs and the prevalence of high molecular weight (HMW) PAHs in the sediment can be related to their octanol-water coefficient (kow) measuring the hydrophobicity of compounds.…”

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Freshwater Systems: A Comprehensive Review of Sources, Distribution, and Impacts

“…Correlation analyses between partitioning coefficients indicated levels of ecosystem contamination, with specific patterns suggesting either sediment or water pollution. The study concluded that the distribution of PAHs is influenced by molecule size and particle distribution, confirming that biomass and fossil fuel combustion are the primary sources [240].…”

“…In a study conducted by Semenov et al [240] on the composition, concentration, and origin of PAHs in the surface waters and bottom sediments of Lake Baikal and its tributaries, the concentrations of PAHs in water and sediments were analyzed using gas chromatography and analytical models for source identification. The findings revealed that PAH concentrations in water ranged from 5 to 200 ng/L and in sediments from 50 to 700 ng/g, with lighter PAHs prevailing in water and heavier ones in sediments due to fractionation in the soil-water system [240]. The main sources of PAHs were identified as biomass and fossil fuel combustion.…”

Revealing the Sources of Nutrients in the Surface Waters of the Selenga River Watershed Using Hydrochemical and Geospatial Data

“…Ulan-Ude is the largest city in the Selenga watershed and home to almost 500,000 people. There are numerous small anthropogenic sources in Ulan-Ude urban agglomeration [75], thus the nitrogen pollution of surface waters from both point and nonpoint sources is quite possible. The impact of N emission from the State District Power Plant (SDPP) located on the Gusinoye lake shore, windward of sub-watershed 9, is also possible.…”