Determination of PAH sources in dated sediments from Green Bay, Wisconsin, by a chemical mass balance model

• Published in: Environmental pollution (1987) Vol. 99; no. 3; pp. 411 - 419
• Main Authors: Su, Ming-Chien, Christensen, Erik R., Karls, Jay F.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 1998; Elsevier
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Carbon particles; Chemical mass balance (CMB) model; Dated sediments; Earth sciences; Earth, ocean, space; Engineering and environment geology. Geothermics; Exact sciences and technology; Global environmental pollution; Green Bay; PAHs; Pollution; Pollution, environment geology; United States; North America; Wisconsin; America; Green Bay; PAHs; Carbon particles; Dated sediments; Chemical mass balance (CMB) model; Pollution; Marine sediments; Hydrocarbon; Content; Pollution source inventory; Polycyclic aromatic compound; Isotope dating; Carbon; Case history; Time variation; Material balance
• ISSN: 0269-7491; 1873-6424
• DOI: 10.1016/S0269-7491(97)00182-6

Six sediment cores were collected from Green Bay, Wisconsin, in order to identify possible sources of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) by a chemical mass balance (CMB) model. The cores which were obtained in 1995 had total PAH concentrations between 8.04 and 0.460 ppm. 210Pb and 137Cs dating was used to determine historical trends of PAH inputs, and elemental carbon particle analysis was done to characterize particles from combustion of coal, wood and petroleum. The results show that coke burning, highway dust, and wood burning are likely sources of PAHs to Green Bay. The contribution of coke oven emissions (CB) for the Green Bay cores is in the range of 5 to 90%. The overall highway dust (HWY) contribution is between 5 and 70%. There is a maximum (∼67%) contribution of HWY around 1988 which is in agreement with the historical US petroleum consumption. The wood burning (WB) contribution is between 1 to 30%, except in core GB-A where a maximum (∼50%) is found around 1994. The average relative errors of measurement for x 2 equal to the number of degrees of freedom, are 52.5, 56.2, 36.2, 52.3, and 42.8 (df = 3) for the Green Bay cores A, B, C, E, and F, respectively. The sums of the contribution factors are less than one, indicating gain of inert biological or other bulk material between source and receptor. The results of carbon particles for Green Bay core D show that coal, oil, and wood burning are consistent with the CMB modeling results.