ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons
in Weihe River, a Typical River in Arid
and Semi-Arid Region of Northwest China:
Trends of Pollution and Risk
| 1 | College of Water and Environment, Chang’an University, Xi’an, China |
| 2 | Key Laboratory of Subsurface Hydrology and Ecology in Arid Areas, Ministry of Education, Xi’an, China |
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Submission date: 2020-04-09
Final revision date: 2020-06-15
Acceptance date: 2020-07-01
Online publication date: 2021-01-26
Publication date: 2021-02-05
Pol. J. Environ. Stud. 2021;30(2):1573–1583
KEYWORDS
TOPICS
ABSTRACT
The distribution, source and potential ecosystem risk of 16 priority polycyclic aromatic
hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Weihe River were estimated. In 2015 the mean values of ΣPAHs were
278.4 ng/L in water dissolved phase (WDP) and 1,340 ng/g dry weight (dw) in sediment, respectively.
While in 2016 the mean concentrations of ΣPAHs reduced to 108.6 ng/L in WDP and 539.1 ng/g dw in
sediment, respectively. The concentrations of PAHs in Weihe River were at a moderate level compared
with other rivers in the world. Compared with the data in our previous study in 2014 and the data
in other studies, the PAHs level in Weihe River in 2015 and 2016 decreased obviously. The PAHs
concentrations in WDP and sediment samples from 8 sewage outlets discharging into Weihe River
were much higher than those in Weihe River. Principal component analytical results indicated that
coal combustion was the most important source of PAHs in Weihe River. The results suggested that
Weihe River Comprehensive Treatment Project (WRCTP) played its role effectively in reducing PAHs
pollution of Weihe River.
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