Occurrence and sources of aliphatic hydrocarbons in soils within the vicinity of hot mix asphalt plants in Obigbo and Igwuruta Areas of Rivers State, Nigeria

Abstract

This study investigated the occurrence and sources of aliphatic hydrocarbons (AHCs) in soils within the vicinity of hot mix asphalt (HMA) plants. Soil samples were collected from two HMA plants and analysed with gas chromatography -flame ionisation detector (GC-FID). Sample collection was from both surface (0-15 cm) and subsurface (15-30 cm) soils at an increasing distance of 10 m from the HMA plants while the control samples at both depths were collected at 1 km away from the plants. The AHCs concentration (nC9-nC38) in soils from both HMA Plants ranged from 8.16 -433.04 mg/kg and 5.91-177.83 mg/kg for surface and subsurface soils respectively while the concentration in the control samples ranged from 5.97 -23.95 mg/kg and 2.52 -13.31 for surface and subsurface soil respectively. The sources of the AHCs were determined using isoprenoid ratios, carbon preference index (CPI) and maximum carbon chain (Cmax). The isoprenoid ratios and CPI values of the samples closer (< 20 m) to the HMA plants were < 1 and < 2 respectively indicating anthropogenic inputs. Samples > 20 m from the HMA plants showed mixture of both anthropogenic and biogenic sources. ©JASEM http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/jasem.v20i4.24

Comparative Study on Heavy Metals and Hydrocarbons Accumulation in Cassava Tubers Harvested from Four Different Locations in Rivers State, Nigeria

“…Food crops from areas exposed to gas flare are markedly contaminated by carcinogenic PAHs and may pose public health concerns [22]. High concentration of hydrocarbons in the experimental samples from Eleme community can be attributed to gas flaring and activities of the companies within the community while that of samples from Mile 3 may be attributed to anthropogenic activities [23]. TPH contents of the samples were in the order: Eleme community > Mile 3 > Rukpoku > RSU farm.…”

Preliminary Investigation of Microplastics in Roadside Soils of Port Harcourt and Elele in Rivers State, Nigeria

“…Transportation of legacy pollutants such as polychlorinated biphenyls, petroleum hydrocarbons and heavy metals from road soils to aquatic ecosystems have been reported in literature. [14][15][16][17] Also, microplastics have been reported to be transported from roadside soils and dusts into aquatic ecosystems. [18][19][20] Furthermore, vehicle parts and tires are significant sources of microplastics due to wear and tear as well as friction between tires and road surfaces leading to release of tire particles on the road.…”

Assessment of the levels of polychlorinated biphenyls in sediments of new Calabar River, Niger Delta Region, Nigeria

“…The river is also subjected to municipal runoffs and effluent discharges from industries including from oil and gas related activities in the region; yet only a few environmental studies have been conducted on PCBs in the Niger Delta due to much focus on petroleum hydrocarbons [14][15][16]. This is not surprising as the region suffers from perennial environmental negligence resulting from drilling, production and refining of crude oil as well as industrial use of petroleum products [17][18][19][20]. Hence, the aim of this study is to determine the levels of concentration of PCBs in sediment samples from New Calabar River in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria.…”