Testing a novel biotechnological passive sampler for monitoring atmospheric PAH pollution

• Published in: Journal of hazardous materials 2020-01, Vol.381, p.120949-120949, Article 120949
• Main Authors: Aboal, J.R., Concha-Graña, E., De Nicola, F., Muniategui-Lorenzo, S., López-Mahía, P., Giordano, S., Capozzi, F., Di Palma, A., Reski, R., Zechmeister, H., Martínez-Abaigar, J., Fernández, J.A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Active monitoring; Moss bags; Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
• ISSN: 0304-3894; 1873-3336
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2019.120949

•Mosspheres are integrators of 4-, 5, 6- rings PAHs, their summations and total PAHs.•No significant regressions were found for the 3-rings PAH between mosspheres and PM10.•Neither for the 3-rings PAH between mosspheres and Bulkdeposition (BD).•Relationships were established for 4-,5- and 6- rings between mosspheres and PM10.•Relationships were established for 4-,5- and 6- rings between mosspheres and BD. In this study we evaluated a new type of passive air sampler, the “mossphere” device, filled with a Sphagnum palustre clone. For this purpose, we compared the atmospheric levels of polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) collected using this device and those collected in conventional bulk deposition and particulate matter (PM10) samplers. All three types of samplers were exposed at 10 sites affected by different levels of pollution and located in two different climate zones. The bulk deposition/ mossphere comparison yielded a greater number of significant regressions with higher coefficients of determination than the PM10/ mossphere comparison. No significant regressions were observed for 3-ring PAHs in either comparison. The mosspheres explain ca. 50% of the variability of the concentrations of 4-, 5- and 6-ring PAHs and total PAHs detected in PM10 and ca. 70% of the corresponding concentrations detected in the bulk deposition. The use of the Sphagnum clone enables standardization of the set-up, thus making the mossphere device a good sampling tool for monitoring 4-, 5- and 6-ring and total PAHs, especially those associated with bulk deposition. The findings indicate the potential usefulness of this innovative technology for mapping PAH levels.