Hydrocarbons analysis for risk assessment in polluted soils

Abstract

Policies for contaminated site management in Europe are evolving from total concentration-based of pollutants policies to risk-assessment policies. Leakages of petroleum products are usually composed of many different substances, usually grouped into the parameter Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons (TPH). However, to carry out a suitable risk assessment TPH must be divided into different fractions, according to their physicochemical properties. The purpose of this work is to develop an analytical method for the characterization of TPH fractions taking soils from a high populated area of a Spanish medium size city. Results allow determining which product was released depending on each fraction percentage and it can be compared to the regulation to determine the actions that must be performed. If the action is the risk assessment, TPH fractions are suitable for this task, enabling a detailed study of TPH risks for human health and the environment.