Estimation of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons and Heavy Metals Associated with the Burning of Sugar Cane in the Cauca River Valley (Colombia)

Abstract

The present research assessed the presence of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and heavy metals resulting from the burning of sugar cane in the Cauca River valley. For this purpose, a subset of 240 samples was considered, integrated over 24 hours, of particulate matter of less than 10 microns (PM10), collected from October 2010 to February 2011 in the villages of Bolo San Isidro (highly exposed zone) and Ricaurte (control zone) located in the municipalities of Palmira and Bolivar. A chemical characterization related to the identification of HAPs belonging to the list of priority contaminants of the United States Environmental Protection Agency was carried out for part of the subset, following EPA T0-13A. In addition, the chemical characterization of metal compounds in 108 of these samples carried out was taken into account, in accordance with the EPA IO-3.1 method. The application of the principal components analysis (PCA), the factorial analysis with varimax rotation and a series of statistical correlations allowed the identification of the possible metals and PAH tracers of the burning of sugar cane. Results of the study show that the PAH associated with the PM10 originated in the Cauca River valley, possibly attributed to the burning of sugar cane in the high exposure zone, are: Pyr, Phe, and Flt, whereas the metals associated directly and indirectly with this source of emission are: Fe, Mn, Si and Cu