Concentration and Distribution of PAHS in Soils Affected by Grassland Fire

Norhayati Mohd. Tahir, and Tan, Hock Sen and Marinah Ariffin, and Suhaimi Suratman, and Lim, Seang Hoe (2006) Concentration and Distribution of PAHS in Soils Affected by Grassland Fire. Malaysian Journal of Analytical Sciences, 10 (1). pp. 41-46. ISSN 13942506

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Affiliations

Kolej Universiti Sains dan Teknologi Malaysia, Faculty of Science and Technology, Dept. of Chemical Scences, Environmental Research Group

Abstract

Satu kajian telah dijalankan bagi menentukan kesan pembakaran kawasan tanah rumput ke atas taburan hidrokarbon aromatik polisiklik (PAHs) dalam tanah berhampiran jalanraya di daerah Marang. Sebanyak 15 sampel tanah permukaan telah diambil dari Kuala Tengah di Pulau Kerengga hingga Kg. Baharu di Merchang yang kerap dilanda kebakaran kawasan tanah rumput. Sampel tanah (< 500 µm) di ‘ultrasonic’ menggunakan diklorometana sebagai pelarut dan ekstrak yang diperolehi dipisahkan dengan menggunakan turus silika-alumina. Penentuan dan kuantifikasi 16 PAHs utama dijalankan dengan menggunakan GC-MS. Hasil menunjukkan kepekatan PAHs dalam tanah dikaji berada dalam julat 30 hingga 450 µg kg-1 (jisim kering) dengan hampir kesemua stesen menunjukkan kehadiran benzo[a]pyrene (BaP), satu sebatian penunjuk PAH yang dikaitkan dengan pembakaran biojisim. Benzo[g,h,i] perylene (BgP), sebatian yang biasa dikaitkan dengan asap kenderaan juga didapati dalam sesetengah sampel tanah. Keputusan ini menunjukkan pembakaran tanah rumput dan pelepasan asap kenderaan menyumbang kepada kehadiran PAHs dalam tanah yang dikaji. Namun, korelasi yang lebih tinggi diantara kepekatan BaP dengan jumlah PAHs berbanding BgP dengan jumlah PAHs menunjukkan pembakaran tanah rumput yang baru terjadi di kawasan ini turut mempengaruhi taburan PAHs dalam tanah yang dikaji.

ABSTRACT A study has been carried out to determine the affect of grassland fire on the distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in roadside soils of Marang district. 15 surfacial soil samples were collected from Kuala Tengah in Pulau Kerengga to Kg. Baharu in Merchang, a stretch of area bordering to the national trunk road, which frequently suffered from grassland fires. Soil samples (< 500 µm) were ultrasonicated using dichloromethane as solvent and the extracts fractionated on silica-alumina column. Detection and quantification of 16 priority PAHs compounds were carried out using GC-MS. Results indicated that concentration of PAHs in soils ranged from 30 to 450 µg kg-1 (dry weight) with almost all stations showing the presence of benzo[a]pyrene (BaP), a signature PAH compound associated with biomass burning. Benzo[g,h,i] perylene (BgP), a compound generally associated with vehicular emission was also observed in some of the soil samples. These results indicate that both biomass burning and vehicular emission contributed to the presence of PAHs in these soils, however, a higher correlation observed for BaP and total PAHs compared to between BgP and total PAHs suggest that recent grassland fires in the area has an impact on the distribution of PAHs in the soils studied.

Item Type:

Journal

Additional Information:

Financial supports from KUSTEM through a short term grant vote no. 54085 is kindly acknowledged.

Keywords:

PAHs, soils, grassland fire, biomass burning, GC-MS detection

Subjects:

Q Science

ID Code:

1070