Distribution and sources of aliphatic hydrocarbons (AHCs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) within the vicinity of a hot mix asphalt (HMA) plant in Port Harcourt, Nigeria

This study investigates the distribution and sources of aliphatic hydrocarbons (AHCs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) within the vicinity of a hot mix asphalt (HMA) plant in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. Five samples were collected at both surface (0-15cm) and subsurface (15-30cm) depths at an increasing distance from the HMA plant and the control samples for both levels were collected at 500m away from the HMA plant. The concentration of the aliphatic hydrocarbons varied from 16.74 to 2025.20mg/kg and 25.69 to 818.82mg/kg for surface and subsurface levels respectively while the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons ranged from 117.67 to 2226.44mg/kg and 414.40 to 1588.89mg/kg for surface and subsurface samples respectively. The diagnostic isomer ratios showed that the petroleum hydrocarbons were mainly of pyrogenic origin.