Multimedia and Spatial Distribution, Internal Accumulation and Source Diagnostics of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) of the Luan River Basin, China

The distribution, composition, and source of 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the Luan River, China, were investigated in this study. The compositional profiles of PAHs in the three mediums represented different characteristics. In different land-use areas, compositional profiles of PAHs in water were familiar, while that in sediment and bank soil presented differences. The spatial distribution of PAHs indicated that the most polluted sites all gathered in the middle and lower reaches of the region, which was different from other rivers in China. The PAH data of bank soil were used for source identification. Both diagnostic ratios of selected PAHs and principal component analysis (PCA) with multiple linear regression (MLR) analysis were studied, suggesting mixed source of PAHs in the Luan River Basin.