Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Relationships between organic matter, black carbon and persistent organic pollutants in European background soils : implications for sources and environmental fate.
AU - Nam, Jae Jak
AU - Gustafsson, Orjan
AU - Kurt-Karakus, Perihan
AU - Breivik, Knut
AU - Steinnes, Eiliv
AU - Jones, Kevin C.
PY - 2008/12
Y1 - 2008/12
N2 - Black carbon (BC) and total organic carbon (TOC) contents of UK and Norwegian background soils were determined and their relationships with persistent organic pollutants (HCB, PAHs, PCBs, co-planar PCBs, PBDEs and PCDD/Fs) investigated by correlation and regression analyses, to assess their roles in influencing compound partitioning/retention in soils. The 52 soils used were high in TOC (range 54–460 mg/g (mean 256)), while BC only constituted 0.24–1.8% (0.88%) of the TOC. TOC was strongly correlated (p < 0.001) with HCB, PCBs, co-PCBs and PBDEs, but less so with PCDD/Fs (p < 0.05) and PAHs. TOC explained variability in soil content, as follows: HCB, 80%; PCBs, 44%; co-PCBs, 40%; PBDEs, 27%. BC also gave statistically significant correlations with PBDEs (p < 0.001), co-PCBs (p < 0.01) and PCBs, HCB, PCDD/F (p < 0.05); TOC and BC were correlated with each other (p < 0.01). Inferences are made about possible combustion-derived sources, atmospheric transport and air–surface exchange processes for these compounds. Total organic carbon and black carbon fractions can play an important role in the storage and cycling of persistent organic pollutants in background soils.
AB - Black carbon (BC) and total organic carbon (TOC) contents of UK and Norwegian background soils were determined and their relationships with persistent organic pollutants (HCB, PAHs, PCBs, co-planar PCBs, PBDEs and PCDD/Fs) investigated by correlation and regression analyses, to assess their roles in influencing compound partitioning/retention in soils. The 52 soils used were high in TOC (range 54–460 mg/g (mean 256)), while BC only constituted 0.24–1.8% (0.88%) of the TOC. TOC was strongly correlated (p < 0.001) with HCB, PCBs, co-PCBs and PBDEs, but less so with PCDD/Fs (p < 0.05) and PAHs. TOC explained variability in soil content, as follows: HCB, 80%; PCBs, 44%; co-PCBs, 40%; PBDEs, 27%. BC also gave statistically significant correlations with PBDEs (p < 0.001), co-PCBs (p < 0.01) and PCBs, HCB, PCDD/F (p < 0.05); TOC and BC were correlated with each other (p < 0.01). Inferences are made about possible combustion-derived sources, atmospheric transport and air–surface exchange processes for these compounds. Total organic carbon and black carbon fractions can play an important role in the storage and cycling of persistent organic pollutants in background soils.
KW - Persistent organic pollutants
KW - Soil organic matter
KW - Black carbon
KW - Environmental fate
U2 - 10.1016/j.envpol.2008.05.027
DO - 10.1016/j.envpol.2008.05.027
M3 - Journal article
VL - 156
SP - 809
EP - 817
JO - Environmental Pollution
JF - Environmental Pollution
SN - 0269-7491
IS - 3
ER -