HYDROCARBONS IN SOILS AND SEDIMENTS AT THE SAROUNDS OF BRAZILIAN ANTARTIC STATION OF COMANDANTE FERRAZ.

Abstract

Despite being remote and uninhabited, the Antartic Continent is not free from the impact of human presence. Among the possible impacts, the presence of oilderived hydrocarbons has been a matter of concern. The ships operating in the region and the transportation of diesel oil to the power plant of Comandante Ferraz Station (EACF) have contributed to the introduction of oil hydrocartbons into the environment. This work, as part of Criosols project, aimed to evaluate the presence of oil hydrocarbons at the surrounds of EACF. Soils samples were collected in a prestablished area during the summer of 2003. The aliphatic and aromatic polycyclic hydrocarbons were extracted by Soxhlet. The hydrocarbons were isolated, identified and quantified by CGMS. The aliphatic and aromatic polycyclic hydrocarbons found in the soil and sediments were similar to those found in the diesel fuel and their areas of dispersion, mainly in the sub-surface, were larger than those of the volatile aromatic hydrocarbons. The aliphatic hydrocarbons with the highest concentrations were pentadecane, octadecane and pentacosane. Among the aromatic polycyclic hydrocarbons, acenaftene, fluorantene and chysene had the highest concentrations and a larger area of dispersion.