Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in two sedimentary environments of the Tertiary Krepoljin coal basin

Authors

  • Gordana Devic University of Belgrade, IHTM
  • Marija Pergal University of Belgrade, IHTM, Center of Chemistry
  • Miodrag Pergal

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.20450/mjcce.2023.2552

Keywords:

illite-montmorillonitic environment, calcitic environment , polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, gas chromatography with triple quad detector, multivariate statistical technique

Abstract

In the present study, statistical correlation analysis and multivariate statistical techniques (PCA/FA) were employed to investigate polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in sediments, such as illite-montmorillonite (IM) and calcite (Ct), from two sedimentary environments of the Tertiary Krepoljin brown coal basin in Serbia. The coal and sediment layers were formed in fresh-water bogs during the Lower Miocene period. The total amount of extractable PAHs was determined by gas chromatography with a triple quad mass detector (GC-MS-MS), and it ranged from 449 to 10585 μg l−1 in all sediments. Eight of the total 16 PAHs, which ranged from 175.17 to 658.42 μg l−1, include benzo[a]anthracene, chrysene, benzo[b]fluoranthene, benzo[k]fluoranthene, benzo[a]pyrene, dibenzo[a,h]anthracene, benzo[g,h,i]perylene, and indeno[1,2,3-cd]pyrene, which are regarded as potentially carcinogenic, indicating a higher possibility of adverse ecological effects. Medium molecular-weight (MMW) PAHs were found to be predominant in all sediments. PAH concentrations are affected by several factors, such as carbon content, H/C mole ratio, and (less significant) O/C mole ratio. The non-existence of a correlation between the N/C ratio and other parameters indicates unspecific changes which accompany the original organic matter. The lower-sulfur Ct sediment samples were found to have a higher PAH content than higher sulfur IM samples, leading to the conclusion that the PAH content of sediments may be related to the depositional environment.

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Published

2023-06-26 — Updated on 2023-07-01

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How to Cite

Devic, G., Pergal, M., & Pergal, M. (2023). Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in two sedimentary environments of the Tertiary Krepoljin coal basin. Macedonian Journal of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, 42(1), 25–36. https://doi.org/10.20450/mjcce.2023.2552 (Original work published June 26, 2023)

Issue

Vol. 42 No. 1 (2023)

Section

Organic Chemistry

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Copyright (c) 2023 Gordana Devic, Marija Pergal, Miodrag Pergal

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