Atmospheric occurrences and health risk assessment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and their derivatives in a typical coking facility and surrounding areas

Weiqiang Deng; Meicheng Wen; Chao Wang; Jin Huang; Shu Zhang; Shengtao Ma; Jukun Xiong; Wanjun Wang; Xin Zhang; Taicheng An

doi:10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.139994

Atmospheric occurrences and health risk assessment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and their derivatives in a typical coking facility and surrounding areas

Chemosphere. 2023 Nov:341:139994. doi: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.139994. Epub 2023 Aug 29.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Joint Laboratory for Contaminants Exposure and Health, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Catalysis and Health Risk Control, Institute of Environmental Health and Pollution Control, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, China; Guangdong Engineering Technology Research Center for Photocatalytic Technology Integration and Equipment, Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Environmental Catalysis and Pollution Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, China.
² Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Joint Laboratory for Contaminants Exposure and Health, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Catalysis and Health Risk Control, Institute of Environmental Health and Pollution Control, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, China; Guangdong Engineering Technology Research Center for Photocatalytic Technology Integration and Equipment, Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Environmental Catalysis and Pollution Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, China. Electronic address: meicheng.wen@gdut.edu.cn.
³ Institute of Environmental Science, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, 030006, China.

PMID: 37652242
DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.139994

Abstract

Coking facilities release large quantities of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and their derivatives into the ambient air. Here we examined the profiles, spatial distributions, and potential sources of atmospheric PAHs and their derivatives in an industrial coking plant and its surrounding environment (gaseous and particulate). The mean concentrations of PAHs, nitrated PAHs (NPAHs), chlorinated PAHs (ClPAHs), and brominated PAHs (BrPAHs) in the air of the coking facility were 923, 23.8, 16.7 and 4.25 ng m^-³, respectively, 1-2 orders of magnitude higher than those in the surrounding area and the control area. Linear regressions between contaminant concentrations and distance from the coking facility suggested that the concentrations of PAHs (r² = 0.82, p < 0.05), NPAHs (r² = 0.77, p < 0.01), and BrPAHs (r² = 0.62, p < 0.01) were negatively correlated with distance. Additionally, the particle-bound fractions of PAHs and their derivatives were significantly correlated with their molecular weights (p < 0.01). Based on the calculation of the gas/particle partitioning coefficients (log K_P) for PAHs and their derivatives and the corresponding subcooled liquid vapor pressures (log P_L), the slope values for PAHs, NPAHs, ClPAHs, and BrPAHs ranged from -1 to -0.6, indicating that deposition of PAHs and their derivatives occurred through both adsorption and absorption. Five emissions sources were identified by positive matrix factorization (PMF), including coking emissions, oil pollution, industrial and combustion sources, secondary formation, and traffic emissions, with coking emissions accounting for more than 50% of total emissions. Furthermore, the results of the health risks assessment suggested that atmospheric PAHs and their derivatives in the coke plant and surrounding area negatively impacted human health.

Keywords: Coking facility; Gas/particle partitioning; Health risk; PAHs; Source identification; Spatial distribution.

MeSH terms

Air Pollutants* / analysis
China
Coke*
Environmental Monitoring
Gases
Humans
Nitrates
Particulate Matter / analysis
Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons* / analysis
Risk Assessment

Substances

Coke
Air Pollutants
Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons
Nitrates
Gases
Particulate Matter