SOURCE DETERMINATION AND CONCENTRATION OF POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS IN SOIL AROUND SELECTED ASPHALT PLANTS WITHIN PORT HARCOURT METROPOLIS, NIGERIA

This study evaluated the concentration and sources of poly aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) by means of Gas Chromatography/Flame Ionization detector (GC/FID) in asphalt contaminated soils from three Asphalt Companies namely AUC, H & H and JAFAC, within Port Harcourt Metropolis. The total concentration of PAHs across the three places showed that AUC Asphalt was 160.7±40.84 mg/kg, H & H Asphalt was 684.5±206.0 mg/kg and JAFAC Asphalt had a total of 105.0±26.02 mg/kg while the overall mean was 316.7±90.95 mg/kg. These results were far above standard limits by WHO and other world agencies which may be of significant threat to health. Finally, the diagnostic ratio of LMWP/HMWP showed 0.007, 0.9 and 0.1 for AUC, H & H and JADAC respectively while the ring ratio were Ant/(Ant+Phe) with value of 0.2 for AUC and 0.4 for JAFAC. Flu/(Flu+Pyr) values were 0.005 for AUC, 0.8 for H & H and 1 for JAFAC while BaA/(BaA+Chr) were 1 for AUC, 0.9 for H & H and 0.3 for JAFAC respectively. The findings showed that the PAHs were of both petrogenic and pyrogenic origin.