title: Study of air-soil exchange of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the north-central part of India--a semi arid region.
abstract: Soil is the major environmental reservoir of organic compounds and soil-air exchange is a key process in governing the environmental fate of these compounds on a regional and global scale. Samples of air and soil were collected to study the levels of PAHs in the air and soil of the Agra region. Concentrations of PAH measured at four locations in the city of Agra, covers industrial, residential, roadside and agricultural areas. Samples were extracted with hexane by ultrasonic agitation. Extracts were then fractioned on a silica-gel column and the aromatic fraction was analysed by GC-MS. The mean concentration of the total PAH (T-PAH) in the air of Agra was 24.95, 17.95 and 14.25 ng m(-3), during winter, monsoon and summer respectively. The average concentration of T-PAH in the soil of Agra was 12.50, 8.25 and 6.44 μg g(-1) in winter, monsoon and summer seasons respectively. The aim of this study was to investigate the rate of approach to equilibrium partitioning of PAHs between air and soil compartments and to determine the direction of net flux of the studied PAH between air and soil. Calculated soil-air fugacity quotients indicate that the soil may now be a source of some lighter weight PAHs to the atmosphere, whereas it appears to be still acting as a long-term sink for the heavier weight PAHs to some extent in this region.
authors.affiliation: Analytical Research Lab, Department of Chemistry, St Andrew's College, Gorakhpur 273001, India. amitmasih10@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Amit
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Masih
authors.forename: Jamson
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Masih
authors.forename: Ajay
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Taneja
mesh_terms: D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D001272:Atmosphere / Q000737:chemistry*; D002980:Climate; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D004787:Environmental Pollution / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D007194:India; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons / Q000032:analysis*; D012621:Seasons; D012987:Soil / Q000737:chemistry*; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons; D012987:Soil; D012989:Soil Pollutants