Characterization of oil pollutants in soil and sediments in the vicinity of a heating plant – alluvial sediments of the Sava river, Belgrade, Serbia

Abstract

The aim of this research was characterization of oil pollutants in the soil and sediments in the vicinity of one of the largest district heating plants in Belgrade (Capital of Serbia). The soil and sediment samples (109 in total) were collected in spring 2015. From these samples, the extractable organic matter was isolated using a Soxhlet apparatus, and fractionated into fractions of: saturated hydrocarbons, aromatic hydrocarbons, and polar compounds. Saturated hydrocarbons were analysed by gas chromatography – mass spectrometry. Saturated biomarkers revealed that the surface samples contained mixtures of a diesel fuel and native organic substance while the pollutant in the subsurface samples was a mixture of a diesel fuel and a heavy oil fuel. Sterane and terpane biomarkers confirmed presence of different oil pollutants at this location. It was concluded that the oil pollutants saturated hydrocarbons at this location originate from multiple discharges of diesel and/or a heavy oil fuel.