Source apportionment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by positive matrix factorization in surface sediments of Taihu Lake, China

In order to identify 16 priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons present in the surface sediments of Taihu Lake, 41 surface sediment samples were analyzed by GC-MS. The total concentrations of PAHs ranged from 262.06 ng/g to 1087.22 ng/g (dry weight). The source apportionment of PAHs by positive matrix factorization model indicated that the main source of PAHs in surface sediments of the lake were emissions from coal combustion, accounting for 53.40% of the total variance, followed by residential emissions, traffic emissions, and biomass combustion, accounting for 19.95%, 19.85, and 6.80%, respectively. The overall concentrations of PAHs were higher at nearshore places than in the middle of the lake, and the northeast region concentrations were higher than the southwest region concentrations.