Characterization of carbonaceous combustion residues: II. Nonpolar organic compounds

Aromatic and aliphatic fractions of black carbon (BC) solvent extracts were examined by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry to determine how differences in broad chemical and physical features are correlated with the load, composition, “extractability” and bioavailability of organic compounds. Diesel soot, urban dust and chimney soot had concentrations of n-alkanes >20 μg/g and of carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) > 8 μg/g. These high levels of solvent-extractable compounds were interpreted as resulting from combustion at temperatures below optimum values for BC formation. PAH concentrations normalized to the amount of soot carbon in chimney soot were close to values for diesel soot. However, the high proportion of polar amorphous organic matter in chimney soot suggests a higher bioavailability for associated PAHs. Carbon black, vegetation fire residues, and straw and wood charcoals had only residual concentrations of n-alkanes (<9 μg/g) and PAHs (<0.2 μg/g). PAH distributions were mostly unspecific, while the overall signature of the aliphatic fraction varied with BC origin. Molecular markers among plant-derived BC included steroid and sesquiterpenoid hydrocarbons. Molecular fingerprints suggest that compounds associated with fossil BC might be more refractory than those associated with plant-derived BC.