Source apportionment of PAHs in roadside agricultural soils of a megacity using positive matrix factorization receptor model and compound-specific carbon isotope analysis

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) contamination in agricultural soils (n = 41) along Shanghai road net was systematically investigated to characterize pollution distribution and to apportion sources. Total PAH (Sigma(16)PAH) concentrations in roadside agricultural soils varied from 17.2 to 3775 ng/g with an average of 339 +/- 594 ng/g, 43.9 % of which corresponded to weakly heavily contaminated levels. The spatial distribution of pollution hotspots depended on heavy traffic volume and intensive industrial activities in adjacent areas. A positive matrix factorization receptor model identified that vehicle emission and combustion of coal, biomass and natural gas were the predominant sources, accounting for 66.0 % and 23.7 % of Sigma(16)PAH loadings, respectively. Stable carbon isotope analysis was applied for the first time in seven sites with high Sigma(16)PAH concentrations for tracing their unique sources. It was concluded that PAHs in the heavily contaminated soil site G18 predominantly came from vehicle emission sources, different from the six other sites controlled by coal-processing and biomass combustion sources. Future studies should focus on quantifying the source contribution of PAHs in roadside agricultural soils based on the combination of multi-isotope approaches due to the data overlap of delta C-13 in certain sources.

Automated summary

The study found that PAH contamination in agricultural soils along the Shanghai road net mainly came from vehicle emissions and combustion activities, with site G18 predominantly influenced by vehicle emissions and the other six sites controlled by coal and biomass combustion. Future research should focus on quantifying the source contribution of PAHs in roadside agricultural soils using multi-isotope approaches.