Source apportionment of atmospheric PAHs in the western Balkans by natural abundance radiocarbon analysis.
Progress in source apportionment of priority combustion-derived atmospheric pollutants can be made by an inverse approach to inventory emissions, namely, receptor-based compound class-specific radiocarbon analysis (CCSRA) of target pollutants. In the present study, CCSRA of the combustion-derived polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) present in the atmosphere of the countries of the former republic of Yugoslavia was performed. The carbon stable isotope composition (delta13C) of PAHs varied between -27.68 and -27.19 per thousand, whereas delta14C values ranged from -568 per thousand for PAHs sampled in Kosovo to -288 per thousand for PAHs sampled in the Sarajevo area. The application of an isotopic mass balance model to these delta14C data revealed a significant contribution (35-65%) from the combustion of non-fossil material to the atmospheric PAH pollution, even in urban and industrialized areas. Furthermore, consistency was observed between the isotopic composition of PAHs obtained by high-volume sampling and those collected by passive sampling. This encourages the use of passive samplers for CCSRA applications. This marks the first time that a CCSRA investigation could be executed on a geographically wide scale, providing a quantitative field-based source apportionment, which points out that also non-fossil combustion processes should be targeted for remedial action.
Zencak
Zdenek
Z
Department of Applied Environmental Science (ITM), Stockholm University, 10691 Stockholm, Sweden.
Klanova
Jana
J
Holoubek
Ivan
I
Gustafsson
Orjan
O
D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry; D001272:Atmosphere / Q000032:analysis*; D002250:Carbon Radioisotopes; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods; D005843:Geography; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry; D015022:Yugoslavia
D000393:Air Pollutants; D002250:Carbon Radioisotopes; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons