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A systematic assessment of research trends on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in different environmental compartments using bibliometric parameters

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Abstract

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a large group of diverse hazardous organic compounds that are relatively stable and widely distributed throughout the world’s ecosystems due to various anthropogenic activities. They are generally less soluble in water and have a low vapour pressure, but dissolve easily in adipose tissues; and they bioaccumulate into high concentrations in aquatic animals, thereby exerting a variety of hazardous and lethal effects. Despite the plethora of research studies on these pollutants, only few bibliometric reviews on the subject have been documented in the literature. As a result, the present study aimed to assess the research growth on PAHs-related studies across different ecosystems. Science Citation Index-Expanded of Web of Science was explored to obtain the research studies that were conducted between 1991 and 2020, and RStudio was utilized for the data analysis. Annual productivity increased arithmetically over the years, with a 9.2% annual growth rate and a collaboration index of 2.52. Foremost among the trend topics in this field of study include soil, sediments, biodegradation, bioremediation, bioavailability, and source apportionment. China, USA, Spain, France and Germany were the five top-ranked countries in terms of publications and citations over the three decades investigated; however, Korea, Japan, United Kingdom, Germany, and Canada were ranked as the five leading countries in terms of collaboration per published article (MCP ratio). Therefore, efforts to strengthen international collaboration in this field of study especially among the less participating countries and continents are thus encouraged. The findings of this study are expected to provide future direction for the upcoming researchers in identifying the hot spots in this field of study as well as research leaders whom to seek collaboration in their future research plan.

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Data availability

The data in this study were obtained from the Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-Expanded) of the Web of Science (WoS) and available online for verification.

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Acknowledgements

The authors duly acknowledge the supports received from the National University of Lesotho; South Africa Medical Research Council; Cape Peninsula University of Technology, South Africa and the University of Sharjah, UAE.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, Faculty of Science and Technology, National University of Lesotho, P. O. Roma 180, Roma, Lesotho

    Abiodun O. Adeniji, Mosotho J. George & Emmanuel B. Tanor

  2. SAMRC Microbial Water Quality Monitoring Centre, University of Fort Hare, Alice, 5700, South Africa

    Abiodun O. Adeniji, Kunle Okaiyeto & Anthony I. Okoh

  3. Phytomedicine and Phytochemistry Group, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health and Wellness Sciences, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Bellville, 7535, South Africa

    Kunle Okaiyeto

  4. Department of Biochemistry, University of Johannesburg, Auckland Park 2006, Gauteng, South Africa

    Mosotho J. George

  5. Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates

    Lucy Semerjian & Anthony I. Okoh

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Contributions

AOA, KO, MJG, EBT, LS, and AIO contributed to conceptualization; AOA and KO contributed to methodology, software, validation, and data curation; AOA and KO contributed to writing—original draft preparation; MJG, EBT, LS, and AIO contributed to writing—review and editing; LS and AIO contributed to funding acquisition. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

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Adeniji, A.O., Okaiyeto, K., George, M.J. et al. A systematic assessment of research trends on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in different environmental compartments using bibliometric parameters. Environ Geochem Health 45, 1289–1309 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10653-022-01353-2

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