Abstract:
Objective The aims were to get the soil background content and spatial distribution of PAHs in Shenzhen.
Method Based on environmental cell and grid methods, 450 soil surface and 50 typical soil profile sites were set up in the basic ecological control line area which was not or rarely affected by human activities. 500 surface samples and 100 deep samples were collected by multi-point incremental sampling method. The PAHs content of surface soil and profile soil were statistically analyzed. The correlation between the background value of surface soil PAHs content and the physical-chemical soil properties was explored, and the source of surface soil PAHs was analyzed by SPSS.
Result ①Concentrations of PAHs in the surface soil ranged between 1.1 and 1004.19 μg kg−1 dry weight, (95% fraction value 30.82 μg kg−1) in the basic ecological control line area. Those with 5 rings in top soil were dominant, accounting for 29.58% of the total PAHs. Then followed by 3 and 6 rings, which accounted for 22.70% and 20.23%, respectively. ②The 95% fraction PAHs values from the top layer to the bottom layer at vertical soil profile were 21.38 μg kg−1, 12.34 μg kg−1 and 15.15 μg kg−1, respectively. And the average values from the top layer to the bottom layer at vertical soil profile were 9.35 μg kg−1, 5.84 μg kg−1 and 6.42 μg kg−1, respectively. The top layer had the largest PAHs content. ③The content of PAHs in the surface soil was significantly correlated with pH value, organic matter, moisture, cation exchange capacity and clay contents. But it’s not related with the bulk density and sand content. ④The sources of PAHs based on principle factor analysis indicated that vehicle exhaust, coal combustion and background were the major PAHs source, which contributed to 51.21%, 18.42% and 7.58% of the total PAHs release, respectively.
Conclusion Human factors such as traffic and coal combustion influenced the air component. Thus, the background contents of PAHs in the surface soil were changed by the air deposition. It was suggested that we should purify traffic exhaust to reduce the background value of PAHs in soil.