Linear alkylbenzene sulfonates (LAS) as tracers of urban waste waters in shallow littoral ecosystems: A case study in the Bay of Cádiz

Abstract

The spatial distribution of linear alkylbenzene sulfonates (LAS) and their composition of homologues in sediments of Cádiz Bay, a semienclosed system surrounded by urbanized areas, has been studied. LAS homologues were measured in marine sediments using solid-phase extraction and reversed-phase high-perfomance liquid chromatography with spectrofluorimetric detection. Results showed that LAS, principally associated with solids in suspension and originating from the existing outlet where urban waste waters are discharged into the Sancti Petri Channel, are transported to Cádiz Bay during the ebb tide or emptying phase. The transport of solids in suspension is defined by the circulation of tidal currents and its sedimentation will be encouraged in those zones where the water has a long residence time, zones of low energy, where the accumulation of the surfactant takes place. These results enable the area of influence of the urban waste water discharge to be determined. The distribution of the various LAS homologues in the sediment samples is different from that of the commercial LAS. The greater the distance from the discharge point, the smaller the quantities of the long-chain homologues.

Occurrence and distribution of nonionic surfactants, their degradation products, and linear alkylbenzene sulfonates in coastal waters and sediments in Spain

“…However, very little data on the occurrence of nonionic surfactants and their refractory metabolites in the marine environment have been generated in Spain and, to our knowledge, this article offers the first reported data for the coastal area. Numerous studies have dealt with the fate of linear alkylbenzene sulfonates (LAS) in the aquatic environment and several of them reported the levels of LAS and their carboxylic degradation products in coastal waters in Spain [24–28].…”

Investigation of Anionic Detergent and Phosphate Pollution in the Coastal Surface Water of Gökçeada

“…Deterjanlar çeşitli lineer alkalibenzen sülfonatlar (LAS) gibi anyonik yüzey aktif madde içeren, sucul yaşam için önemli olan kirleticilerdendir. LAS dünyadaki gelişmiş ve gelişmekte olan ülkelerde deterjanların formülasyonlarında en çok kullanılan anyonik yüzey aktif maddelerdir ve yaygın kullanımları nedeniyle genellikle atıksularda ve alıcı ortam olan denizlerde bulunur [1]. Bu maddeler çoğunlukla temizlik faaliyetlerinden kaynaklanmakta olup, evsel ve endüstriyel atık sularda yoğun olarak bulunmaktadır.…”