Distinguishing natural and anthropogenic sources of aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons using natural abundance radiocarbon measurements

ENVR 34

Örjan Gustafsson, orjan.gustafsson@itm.su.se1, Manolis Mandalakis, mandalakis@chemistry.uoc.gr1, Zdenek Zencak, zdenek.zencak@itm.su.se1, Chris M. Reddy2, Jana Klanova, klanova@recetox.muni.cz3, Ivan Holoubek, holoubek@recetox.muni.cz3, and Euripides G. Stephanou, stephanou@chemistry.uoc.gr4. (1) Department of Applied Environmental Science (ITM), Stockholm University, Stockholm, 10691, Sweden, (2) Department of Marine Chemistry and Geochemistry, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, WHOI, MS 4, Woods Hole, MA 02543, (3) Research Centre for Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Masaryk University Brno, Kamenice 2, Brno, 62500, Czech Republic, (4) Environmental Chemical Processes Laboratory (ECPL), Department of Chemistry, University of Crete, GR-71003 Voutes-Heraklion, Greece
Inspired by the seminal work of Wakeham and Giger decades ago on apportioning hydrocarbons between biogenic and anthropogenic sources, this paper will present recent progress on combining their source-specific molecular marker approach with compound-specific radiocarbon analysis (CSRA) to further elucidate the sources of natural and anthropogenic compounds in the environment. Recent CSRA studies of n-alkanes and PAHs in surface sediments and in air collected in northern, central and southern Europe combine to reveal both inter-compound, inter-regional and inter-seasonal variations in sources. Modern biogenic sources contribute a significant portion (frequently up to 50%) of the environmental load of PAHs and airborne long-chained n-alkanes in the contemporary environment, suggesting that such sources should be scrutinized for effective reduction.
 

Symposium Honoring Dr. Walter Giger
8:30 AM-12:15 PM, Monday, August 20, 2007 Boston Park Plaza -- Stanbro Rm, Oral

Division of Environmental Chemistry

The 234th ACS National Meeting, Boston, MA, August 19-23, 2007