Abstract
The concentrations of organic carbon (Corg), inorganic carbon (Cinorg), organic nitrogen (Norg) and total aromatic (AromT) were determined in 25 samples of bottom sediments from the Lake Valencia, Venezuela, as a contribution to the knowledge about pollution by organic compounds in tropical lakes. Results demonstrate that the Corg and Norg concentrations do not show the pollution indexes by themselves. This is a consequence of the masking effect of naturally derived organic matter from the decay of algae and organisms in the water column and terrestrial plants, which are transported to the lake. Nevertheless, the AromT concentrations and the normalised AromT (normalized to organic carbon) make it possible to detect organic matter of anthropogenic origin, in the AromT levels are about nine times higher than those natural. The variation in the band intensity of the IRFT spectra for some functional groups present in the saturate and aromatic hydrocarbon fractions gives an indication of anthropogenic contribution for some zones of the lake. With the 1H NMR spectra it was not possible to differentiate a natural source from an anthropogenic one in the lake. Naturally occurring organic compounds (eicosane, pentacosane, and hexacosane) were detected with GC technique in the saturated hydrocarbon fraction. The presence of an unresolved complex mixture (UCM) in the GC chromatograms indicates pollution by branched and cyclic hydrocarbons. These compounds are probably produced by the incomplete combustion of oil products. Potentially toxic organic compounds such as anthracene, phenanthrene and chrysene were found in the aromatic hydrocarbon fraction, which despite presenting low concentrations (ppb order) accumulate in the lake sediments along with the natural source organic matter. The main access paths of organic pollutants to the lake are the rivers which cross the two urban and industrial areas (Maracay and Valencia cities). The mixture of polluted sediments with bottom natural sediments and the autochthonous contribution of organic matter mitigate the pollution levels progressively towards the center of the lake.
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López, L., Mogollón, J.L. & Bifano, C. Identification of Anthropogenic Organic Contamination Associated with the Sediments of a Hypereutropic Tropical Lake, Venezuela. Environmental Geochemistry and Health 22, 55–74 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1006715608508
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1006715608508