Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Urban Stream Sediments

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are persistent organic pollutants of high environmental concern with known carcinogenic activity. Although literature documents PAH fate in urban runoff, little is known about their distribution on sediment sizes, which is essential for determining their treat...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Jejal Reddy Bathi, Robert E. Pitt, Shirley E. Clark
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2012-01-01
Series:Advances in Civil Engineering
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2012/372395
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850176205479739392
author Jejal Reddy Bathi
Robert E. Pitt
Shirley E. Clark
author_facet Jejal Reddy Bathi
Robert E. Pitt
Shirley E. Clark
author_sort Jejal Reddy Bathi
collection DOAJ
description Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are persistent organic pollutants of high environmental concern with known carcinogenic activity. Although literature documents PAH fate in urban runoff, little is known about their distribution on sediment sizes, which is essential for determining their treatability and fate in receiving waters. This paper has quantified the concentrations of selected PAHs in urban creek sediments and examined possible relationships between sediment PAH content and sediment characteristics, such as particle size, volatile organic content (VOC), and sediment chemical oxygen demand (SCOD). SCOD, VOC, and PAH concentrations of sediments showed a bimodal distribution by particle size. The large diameter sediments had the highest VOC and also had the highest PAH concentrations. The spatial variation of PAH content by sediment sizes also was statistically significant; however, the mass of the PAH material was significantly affected by the relative abundance of the different particle size classes in the sediment mixtures.
format Article
id doaj-art-b03154f9c75b4aaa9acad09b8ae6e968
institution OA Journals
issn 1687-8086
1687-8094
language English
publishDate 2012-01-01
publisher Wiley
record_format Article
series Advances in Civil Engineering
spelling doaj-art-b03154f9c75b4aaa9acad09b8ae6e9682025-08-20T02:19:18ZengWileyAdvances in Civil Engineering1687-80861687-80942012-01-01201210.1155/2012/372395372395Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Urban Stream SedimentsJejal Reddy Bathi0Robert E. Pitt1Shirley E. Clark2Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487, USADepartment of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487, USAPenn State Harrisburg, Environmental Engineering Program, Middletown, PA 17057, USAPolycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are persistent organic pollutants of high environmental concern with known carcinogenic activity. Although literature documents PAH fate in urban runoff, little is known about their distribution on sediment sizes, which is essential for determining their treatability and fate in receiving waters. This paper has quantified the concentrations of selected PAHs in urban creek sediments and examined possible relationships between sediment PAH content and sediment characteristics, such as particle size, volatile organic content (VOC), and sediment chemical oxygen demand (SCOD). SCOD, VOC, and PAH concentrations of sediments showed a bimodal distribution by particle size. The large diameter sediments had the highest VOC and also had the highest PAH concentrations. The spatial variation of PAH content by sediment sizes also was statistically significant; however, the mass of the PAH material was significantly affected by the relative abundance of the different particle size classes in the sediment mixtures.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2012/372395
spellingShingle Jejal Reddy Bathi
Robert E. Pitt
Shirley E. Clark
Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Urban Stream Sediments
Advances in Civil Engineering
title Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Urban Stream Sediments
title_full Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Urban Stream Sediments
title_fullStr Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Urban Stream Sediments
title_full_unstemmed Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Urban Stream Sediments
title_short Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Urban Stream Sediments
title_sort polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in urban stream sediments
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2012/372395
work_keys_str_mv AT jejalreddybathi polycyclicaromatichydrocarbonsinurbanstreamsediments
AT robertepitt polycyclicaromatichydrocarbonsinurbanstreamsediments
AT shirleyeclark polycyclicaromatichydrocarbonsinurbanstreamsediments