The use of biological markers in the determination of the origin and type of organic matter in the sediments of the Tisza River

Abstract

The objective of this study was to determine the origin and type of organic matter (OM) in recent sediments of the Tisza River, along a distance of 153 km through the territory of Serbia. For this purpose, group organic-geo-chemical parameters and biomarker compositions were used. All samples contained approximately same amount of OM, which was deposited under uniform, slightly reducing conditions. Based on the distribution of n-alkanes, the origin and type of OM could not be precisely estimated. However, the n-alkane patterns suggest the presence of immature singenetic organic matter of terrestrial origin. The distributions of terpanes and steranes and the values of the corresponding maturity parameters indicate that the Tisza River sediments, apart from immature singenetic organic matter, contain oil pollutants of anthropogenic origin. The identical compositions of these biomarkers in all samples confirmed that the recent sediments of the Tisza River, from Kanjiza Town to the confluence into the Danube River, contain the same type of oil pollutants. Based on the compositions of terpanes and steranes and the values of the biomarker parameters in Tisza sediments, it is supposed that the oil pollution generally could be related to heavy fuel oil from tankers, due to intense river transport and, to lower extent, to crude oils from the Elemir and Rusanda oil fields.