Historical deposition of PAHs in mud depocenters from the Southwestern Atlantic continental shelf: The influence of socio-economic development and coal consumption in the last century

Author(s):Show less -

Timoszczuk, Cristian Taboada ^[1] ; dos Santos, Felipe Rodrigues ^[1] ; Araujo, Ligia Dias ^[1] ; Taniguchi, Satie ^[1] ; Lourenco, Rafael Andre ^[1] ; de Mahiques, Michel Michaelovitch ^{[1, 2]} ; de Lima Ferreira, Paulo Alves ^[1] ; Lopes Figueira, Rubens Cesar ^[1] ; Neves, Patricia Andrade ^[1] ; Prates, Denise ^[1] ; Bicego, Marcia Caruso ^[1]

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Sao Paulo, Inst Oceanog, Praca Oceanog 191, BR-05508120 Sao Paulo, SP - Brazil

^[2] Univ Sao Paulo, Inst Energia & Ambiente, Ave Prof Luciano Gualberto 1289, BR-05508010 Sao Paulo, SP - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: Environmental Pollution; v. 284, SEP 1 2021.
• Web of Science Citations: 0

Abstract

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) concentrations were determined in four dated sediment cores collected in mud depocenters of the southern Brazilian continental shelf. Core dating results covered the interval between 1925 and 2017. The total PAH concentrations (sigma PAHs) ranged from 44.69 ng g-1 to 305.43 ng g-1 and were similar between the analysed cores. Fine-grained sediments and total organic carbon (TOC) results did not correlate with the sigma PAHs, indicating that the variations in PAH concentrations are mostly related to variations in sources and emissions. PAH source appointment indicated a high input of a natural compound (perylene) and the predominance of anthropogenic PAHs from coal, biomass, and fuel combustion. Alkylated PAHs presented high contributions throughout all cores. The historical deposition of PAHs was associated with different periods of the socio-economic and industrial development of near coastal cities and reflected very well the history of coal production and consumption in the southern region of Brazil. The low levels of sigma PAHs before 1945 in all analysed cores may be related to the beginning of the industrialization process and the lower urbanization degree in the region. Between 1945 and 1965, the gradual sigma PAHs increase reflects the establishment and enlargement of the southern Brazilian industrial sector. The interval between 1965 and 1990 corresponded to the highest sigma PAHs in three of the four analysed cores. After 1990, a relative decrease in the sigma PAHs was observed in most cores and may be related the multiple cuts of incentives to the industrial usage of coal, as well as to Brazil's efforts in environmental regulation for coal extraction and consumption. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 16/18348-1 - Multi-User Equipment approved in grant 2015/17763-2: triple quadrupole gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer (GC/MS/MS)
• Grantee: Márcia Caruso Bícego
• Support Opportunities: Multi-user Equipment Program
• FAPESP's process: 15/17763-2 - Mudbelts from the South and Southeast Brazil: implications about the anthropogenic influence on the marine environment
• Grantee: Márcia Caruso Bícego
• Support Opportunities: Research Projects - Thematic Grants