| Peer-Reviewed

Forensic Analysis and Source Partitioning of Aliphatic Hydrocarbon Contaminants in Surface Sediments from the Niger Delta, Nigeria

Received: 15 July 2014     Accepted: 31 July 2014     Published: 20 August 2014
Views:       Downloads:
Abstract

Forensic analyses and source partitioning modeling were used in characterizing aliphatic hydrocarbon contaminant compositions in surface sediments from coastal areas of the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. The Total Organic carbon (TOC) contents for the sediments ranged from 0.44 to 4.26% (mean 2.36 ± 1.03). The concentrations of total aliphatic hydrocarbon in the entire study area ranged from 1.65 to 61.34mg/kg dry weight, with overall average of 21.52 ± 22.00. The mean concentrations of aliphatic hydrocarbon (C16 – C31) for the sediments in the upper, middle and lower zones of the study area were in the ranges of 0.04 – 5.44mg/kg, 0.04 – 4.91mg/kg and 0.11 - 10.31mg/kg, respectively. CPI values in the broad range of 0.31 -13.32 for the entire stations is indicative of mixed hydrocarbon inputs. A predominance of odd/even carbon n-alkanes and UCM with different shapes and ranges were observed and suggest inputs from multiple sources. Source partitioning modeling using Factor analyses reduced the data set into three principal components (PCs) confirming inputs from biogenic, anthropogenic and microbial/bacterial sources.

Published in International Journal of Environmental Monitoring and Analysis (Volume 2, Issue 4)
DOI 10.11648/j.ijema.20140204.13
Page(s) 199-208
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2014. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Forensic Analysis, Aliphatic Hydrocarbon, Sources, Factor Analysis, UCM, Niger Delta

References
[1] Wang ZD, Fingas M, Page, DS, 1999. Oil spill identification. Journal of Chromatography. A 843: 369 - 411.
[2] Wang ZD, Stout, SA, Fingas M, 2006. Forensic fingerprinting of biomarkers for oil spill characterization & source identification. Environmental Forensics, 7(2): 105-146.
[3] Page DS, Boehm PD, Douglas GS, Bence AE, 1995. Identification of hydrocarbon sources in the benthic sediments of Prince William Sound and the Gulf of Alaska following the Exxon Valdez oil spill. In: Wells, P.G.,
[4] Page D S, Boehm PD, Douglas GS, Bence AE, Burns WA, Mankiewiez PJ, 1996. The natural petroleum hydrocarbon background in subtidal sediments of Prince William Sound, Alaska, USA. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, 15: 1266-1281.
[5] Boehm PD, Douglas GS, Brown JS, Page DS, Bence AE, Burns WA, Mankieweiz, PJ, 2000. Comments on “Natural hydrocarbon background in benthic sediments of Prince William Sound, Alaska: Oil vs coal”. Environmental Science and Technology, 34: 2064-2065.
[6] Ekpo BO, Fubara EP, Ekpa OD, Marynowski HL, 2012. Distributions of fossil fuel biomarkers in sediments as proxies for petroleum contamination of coastal environment of the Niger Delta, Southeastern Nigeria. Journal of Applied Sciences in Environmental Sanitation, 7(2): 75-86.
[7] Simoneit BRT, 1978. The organic chemistry of marine sediments. In: Riley J.P. and Chester R (eds). Chemical oceanography, Vol. 7, 2nd edition, Academic Press, New York, pp 233-311.
[8] Mazurek M, Simoneit BRT, 1983. Characterization of biogenic and petroleum-derived organic matter in aerosols over remote rural and urban areas. In:Keith L.H.(ed), Identification and analysis of organic pollutants in air, American Chemical Society Symposium, Ann Arbor Science Publishers/Butterworth, Woburn, MA. 71: 92-108.
[9] Aboul-Kassim TAT, Simoneit BRT, 1996. Lipid geochemistry of surficial sediments from the coastal environment of Egypt I. Aliphatic hydrocarbons- characterization and sources. Marine Chemistry, 54: 135-158.
[10] Pisani O, Oros DR, Oyo-Ita OE, Ekpo BO, Jaffé R, Simoneit BRT, 2013. Biomarkers in surface sediments from the Cross River and estuary system, SE Nigeria: Assessment of organic matter sources of natural and anthropogenic origins. Applied Geochemistry, 31: 239–250.
[11] Camacho-Ibar V, Aveytua-Alcazar L, Carriquiry J, 2003. Fatty acid reactivities in sediment cores from the Northern Gulf of California. Journal of Organic Geochemistry, 34: 425-439.
[12] Dickhut RM, Canuel EA, Countway RE, 2003. PAHs distributions and associations with organic matter in surface waters of the York River, VA Estuary. Journal of Organic Geochemistry, 34: 209-224.
[13] Oyo-lta OE, Ekpo BO, Oros DR, Simoneit BRT, 2010. Distribution and sources of aliphatic hydrocarbons and ketones in surface sediments from the Cross River estuary, S.E. Niger Delta, Nigeria. Journal of Applied Sciences in Environmental Sanitation, 5(1):13-24.
[14] Fubara EP, Ekpo BO, Ekpa OD, Marynowski Hab L, 2012. Predominances and source implications of even n-alkenes in surface sediments from coastal areas of Niger Delta, Nigeria. International Journal of Basic & Applied Sciences IJBAS-IJENS. 2(2): 68-79.
[15] Ekpo BO, Oyo-Ita OE, Wehner H, 2005. Even n-alkane/alkene predominances in surface sediments from the Calabar River, S.E. Niger Delta, Nigeria. Naturwissenschaften, 92 (7): 341-346.
[16] Oyo-lta OE, Ekpo BO, Umana US, Simoneit BRT, 2006. Predominance of n-docosane/docosene as molecular indicators of microbial and recent biogenic organic matter incorporation into surface sediments of Cross River Estuary, S.E Niger Delta of Nigeria. Journal of Environmental Sciences, 5: 43-48.
[17] Tamuno TT, 2008. The Geographical Niger Delta. Proceedings of the International Conference on the Nigerian state, Oil Industry and the Niger Delta. pp 916-930.
[18] Mmom PC, 2003. The Niger Delta- A spatial perspective to its development. Zelon Enterprises, Port Harcourt.
[19] Udo RK, 1975. A Comprehensive geography of West Africa. Heinemann Educational Books Ltd., Ibadan.
[20] Nwilo PC, Badejo OT, 2008. Impacts and management of oil spill in Nigerian coastal environment. Proceedings of the International Conference on the Nigerian State, Oil Industry and the Niger Delta. pp1217-1232.
[21] Nyanayo BL, 2007. Plants from the Niger Delta. Onyoma Research Publications, Port Harcourt.
[22] EPA-3540, 1986. Soxhlet extraction. In:Test Method Evaluation Solid Waste Physical/Chemical Methods, Laboratory Manual, Washington DC, Environmental Protection Agency, 1986, v. 1-B.
[23] Schoell M, Teschner M, Wehner H, Durand B and Oudin J L (1983). Maturity related biomarkers and stable isotope variation and their application to oil/source rock correlation in the Mahakam Delta, Kalimatan. In: Bjoroy M. (ed.), Advances in Organic Geochemistry 1981, Chichester, Wiley. pp156-163.
[24] Meniconi MG, Barbanti SM, 2007. Evaluation of hydrocarbon sources in Guanabara Bay, Brazil. In: Wang Z and Stout SA (eds.). Oil spill environmental forensics: Fingerprinting and source identification, Elsevier, USA. pp. 505-536.
[25] Elias VO, Simoneit BRT, Cardoso JN, 1997. Even n-alkane predominances on the Amazon Shelf and a Northeast Pacific Hydrothermal System. Naturwissenchaften, 84: 415-420.
[26] Pearson MJ, Obaje NG, 1999. Onocerane and other triterpenoids in Late Cretaceous sediments from the Upper Benue Trough, Nigeria: Tectonic and palaeoenvironmental implications. Organic Geochemistry, 30: 583-592.
[27] Simoneit BRT, Sheng G, Chen X, Fu J, Zhang H, Xu Y, 1991. Molecular marker study of extractable organic matter in aerosols from the urban areas of China. Atmospheric Environment, 25A: 2111-2129.
[28] Ekpo BO, Wehner H. 2009. Geochemical Imprints of Petroleum Pollution of Surface Sediments from the Calabar River, Southeastern Niger Delta of Nigeria. In: River Sediments ISBN: 978-1-60741-437-7. Editor: Greig Ramsey and Seoras McHugh, Nova Science Publishers, Inc: 129-150.
[29] Zhu Y, Liu H, Cheng H, Xi Z, Liu X, Xu X, 2005. The distribution and source apportionment of aliphatic hydrocarbons in soils from the outskirts of Beijing. Organic Geochemistry, 3: 475-483.
[30] Ficken KJ, Li B, Swain DE, Eglinton G, 2000. An n-alkane proxy for sedimentary input of submerged/floating fresh water aquatic macrophytes. Organic Geochemistry. 31: 745-759.
Cite This Article
  • APA Style

    Fubara, Ebirien Partrick, Ekpo, Bassey Offiong, Ekpa, et al. (2014). Forensic Analysis and Source Partitioning of Aliphatic Hydrocarbon Contaminants in Surface Sediments from the Niger Delta, Nigeria. International Journal of Environmental Monitoring and Analysis, 2(4), 199-208. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijema.20140204.13

    Copy | Download

    ACS Style

    Fubara; Ebirien Partrick; Ekpo; Bassey Offiong; Ekpa, et al. Forensic Analysis and Source Partitioning of Aliphatic Hydrocarbon Contaminants in Surface Sediments from the Niger Delta, Nigeria. Int. J. Environ. Monit. Anal. 2014, 2(4), 199-208. doi: 10.11648/j.ijema.20140204.13

    Copy | Download

    AMA Style

    Fubara, Ebirien Partrick, Ekpo, Bassey Offiong, Ekpa, et al. Forensic Analysis and Source Partitioning of Aliphatic Hydrocarbon Contaminants in Surface Sediments from the Niger Delta, Nigeria. Int J Environ Monit Anal. 2014;2(4):199-208. doi: 10.11648/j.ijema.20140204.13

    Copy | Download

  • @article{10.11648/j.ijema.20140204.13,
      author = {Fubara and Ebirien Partrick and Ekpo and Bassey Offiong and Ekpa and Okon Douglas},
      title = {Forensic Analysis and Source Partitioning of Aliphatic Hydrocarbon Contaminants in Surface Sediments from the Niger Delta, Nigeria},
      journal = {International Journal of Environmental Monitoring and Analysis},
      volume = {2},
      number = {4},
      pages = {199-208},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ijema.20140204.13},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijema.20140204.13},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijema.20140204.13},
      abstract = {Forensic analyses and source partitioning modeling were used in characterizing aliphatic hydrocarbon contaminant compositions in surface sediments from coastal areas of the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. The Total Organic carbon (TOC) contents for the sediments ranged from 0.44 to 4.26% (mean 2.36 ± 1.03). The concentrations of total aliphatic hydrocarbon in the entire study area ranged from 1.65 to 61.34mg/kg dry weight, with overall average of 21.52 ± 22.00. The mean concentrations of aliphatic hydrocarbon (C16 – C31) for the sediments in the upper, middle and lower zones of the study area were in the ranges of 0.04 – 5.44mg/kg, 0.04 – 4.91mg/kg and 0.11 - 10.31mg/kg, respectively. CPI values in the broad range of 0.31 -13.32 for the entire stations is indicative of mixed hydrocarbon inputs. A predominance of odd/even carbon n-alkanes and UCM with different shapes and ranges were observed and suggest inputs from multiple sources. Source partitioning modeling using Factor analyses reduced the data set into three principal components (PCs) confirming inputs from biogenic, anthropogenic and microbial/bacterial sources.},
     year = {2014}
    }
    

    Copy | Download

  • TY  - JOUR
    T1  - Forensic Analysis and Source Partitioning of Aliphatic Hydrocarbon Contaminants in Surface Sediments from the Niger Delta, Nigeria
    AU  - Fubara
    AU  - Ebirien Partrick
    AU  - Ekpo
    AU  - Bassey Offiong
    AU  - Ekpa
    AU  - Okon Douglas
    Y1  - 2014/08/20
    PY  - 2014
    N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijema.20140204.13
    DO  - 10.11648/j.ijema.20140204.13
    T2  - International Journal of Environmental Monitoring and Analysis
    JF  - International Journal of Environmental Monitoring and Analysis
    JO  - International Journal of Environmental Monitoring and Analysis
    SP  - 199
    EP  - 208
    PB  - Science Publishing Group
    SN  - 2328-7667
    UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijema.20140204.13
    AB  - Forensic analyses and source partitioning modeling were used in characterizing aliphatic hydrocarbon contaminant compositions in surface sediments from coastal areas of the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. The Total Organic carbon (TOC) contents for the sediments ranged from 0.44 to 4.26% (mean 2.36 ± 1.03). The concentrations of total aliphatic hydrocarbon in the entire study area ranged from 1.65 to 61.34mg/kg dry weight, with overall average of 21.52 ± 22.00. The mean concentrations of aliphatic hydrocarbon (C16 – C31) for the sediments in the upper, middle and lower zones of the study area were in the ranges of 0.04 – 5.44mg/kg, 0.04 – 4.91mg/kg and 0.11 - 10.31mg/kg, respectively. CPI values in the broad range of 0.31 -13.32 for the entire stations is indicative of mixed hydrocarbon inputs. A predominance of odd/even carbon n-alkanes and UCM with different shapes and ranges were observed and suggest inputs from multiple sources. Source partitioning modeling using Factor analyses reduced the data set into three principal components (PCs) confirming inputs from biogenic, anthropogenic and microbial/bacterial sources.
    VL  - 2
    IS  - 4
    ER  - 

    Copy | Download

Author Information
  • Sections