Funaria hygrometrica moss as Bio-indicator of Atmospheric Pollution of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Makurdi-Nigeria: Occurrence and Sources
- May 20, 2021
- Posted by: rsispostadmin
- Categories: Chemistry, IJRSI
International Journal of Research and Scientific Innovation (IJRSI) | Volume VIII, Issue IV, April 2021 | ISSN 2321–2705
Peter Agorye Adie*, Akosu Andrew Kor, Ahola David Oklo and Chris Oche Ikese
Department of Chemistry, Benue State University, PMB 102119, Makurdi
Corresponding Author*
ABSTRACT
The sixteen (16) polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), compounds listed by the US EPA for priority attention were quantitated in moss samples in the study area to ascertain atmospheric pollution levels of these compounds. PAHs compounds in the digested samples were identified and quantitated by the gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric (GC-MS) technique using column injector in splitless mode. In many of the samples the machine returned Nd, revealing low levels of PAHs contamination in the area. Concentrations of PAHs in the samples ranged from, not detected (Nd) to 7.89 ng/g. Naphthalene, a two-ring PAH showed the most dominance, occurring in 12 of the 15 samples, while benzo[a,h]anthracene, indeno[1,2,3-cd]pyrene and benzo[ghi]perylene were not detected in any of the samples. Ankpa and Gaadi recorded 0.00 ng/g total PAHs concentration/site, while sample from Modern Market showed highest total PAHs concentration of 11.54 ng/g. Application of molecular ratios in source identification revealed that the PAHs fluxes in the samples derived from both pyrogenic and petrogenic origins.
Keywords: Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, Funaria hygrometrica moss, bio-indicator, atmospheric pollution, Makurdi
1.Introduction
Mosses are small flowerless plants that typically grow in dense green clumps or mats, often in damp or shady locations (Buck and Goffinet, 2000). The individual plants are usually composed of simple leaves that are generally only one cell thick, attached to a stem that may be branched or unbranched and play only a limited role in conducting water and nutrients (Buck and Goffinet, 2000; Goffinet and Buck, 2004). Although some species have conducting tissues, these are generally poorly developed and structurally different from similar tissue found in vascular plants. Mosses do not have seeds and after fertilisation develop sporophytes with unbranched stalks topped with single capsules containing spores (Fu et al., 2012; Kang et al. 2016). They are nonvascular, herbaceous, non-woody plants that absorb water and nutrients mainly through their leaves and harvest carbon dioxide and sunlight to
