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Distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in surface water from the upper reach of the Yellow River, Northwestern China

Environmental Science and Pollution Research volume 22, pages 6950–6956 (2015)Cite this article

Abstract

The concentrations of 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in water, suspended particulate matters (SPMs), and sediments in the Lanzhou reach of the Yellow River were investigated in this study. The total PAH concentrations ranged from 548 to 2598 ng/L in water, 1502 to 11,562 ng/g in SPMs, and 181 to 1583 ng/g in sediments. The compositions of PAHs showed that 2- to 3-ring PAHs were abundant in water, 2- to 4-ring PAHs were predominant in SPMs, and 2- to 5-ring PAHs were abundant in sediments. The spatial distribution of PAHs was site-specific and PAHs varied at different sampling locations. The diagnostic ratio analysis indicated that the PAHs mainly had a pyrolytic source. The ecological risk assessment showed that the ecosystem risk of PAHs was low in the Lanzhou reach of the Yellow River.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (no. 5126803), the Funds for Creative Research Groups of China (no. 51121062), the Excellent Young Teachers in Lanzhou University of Technology Training Project (no. 1005ZCX016), and the College Students Training Project for Creative and Entrepreneurship of China (no. 1210731150).

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Affiliations

  1. College of Petrochemical Technology, Lanzhou University of Technology, Lanzhou, 730050, China

    Xia Zhao, Haoran Qiu & Jixiang Chen

  2. State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Municipal and Environmental Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, 150090, China

    Xia Zhao, Jimin Shen & Zhonglin Chen

  3. Poten Environment Group Co., Ltd., Xi’an, 710068, China

    Yangli Zhao

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  1. Xia Zhao
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  2. Haoran Qiu
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  3. Yangli Zhao
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  4. Jimin Shen
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  5. Zhonglin Chen
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  6. Jixiang Chen
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Correspondence to Xia Zhao.

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Responsible editor: Leif Kronberg

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Zhao, X., Qiu, H., Zhao, Y. et al. Distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in surface water from the upper reach of the Yellow River, Northwestern China. Environ Sci Pollut Res 22, 6950–6956 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-014-3846-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-014-3846-z

Keywords

  • Yellow River
  • PAHs
  • Surface water
  • Sediment
  • SPMs