SOURCE APPORTIONMENT OF POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS IN SOILS WITHIN THE COALITE PLANT IN BOLSOVER, NORTH DERBYSHIRE USING ISOTOPE COMPOSITION

Wisdom Ivwurie, Emelife S.C., Snape C., & Sun C.

Department of Chemistry,

Federal University of Petroleum Resources, Effurun

Email: wivwurie@yahoo.co.uk

ABSTRACT

Five soil samples from varying distances from a coalite plant in Bolsover, North Derbyshire were analyzed for their isotopic compositions using gas chromatograpy – isotope ratio mass spectrometry (GC-IRMS). The isotopic composition (free and asphaltene – derived aromatics respectively)for the study areas are; for Bolsv.1, it ranged from -22.5 to -26.6 ‰ and -19.7 to -23.4 ‰, Bolsv 2 ranged from -20.7 to -26.6 ‰ and -19.7 to -22.6 ‰, Bolsv. 3 ranged from -21.6 to -26.6 ‰ and -19.0 to -23.3 ‰, Bolsv. 4 ranged from -23.7 to -27.3 ‰ and -23.4 to -25.1 ‰ and Bolsv.5 ranged from -23.2 to -24.6 ‰ and -23.6 to -27.3 ‰. These ranges showed that the PAHs in the soils were derived basically from coal related sources with predominant input from low and high temperature carbonization.