An overview of organic pollutants concentrations in the port of Durres, Adriatic Sea
Keywords:
Port of Durres, OCPs, PCBs, PAHs, Water analyze, GC/ECD/FIDAbstract
The findings reported here belong to a study on determination of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) concentrations in water samples of the port of Durres which is the largest port of Albania. In it are processed the main part of commercial and passengers shipping in Albania. These substances that present high risks are classified as priority substances. Although the production and use of these substances has been banned for decades, their presence continues to be reported due to their high persistence in the environment. Water samples were taken in 12 different stations of the port of Durres in two periods (May and July 2022). Organochlorine compounds were extracted simultaneously using liquid-liquid technique using hexane as extracting solvent. Also, PAHs were extracted also using liquid-liquid technique using dichloromethane and hexane (two steps) as extracting solvent. Chlorinated pollutants were determined by gas chromatography electron capture detection (GC/ECD) while PAH by gas chromatography flame ionization detector (GC/FID). Organochlorine pesticides (mostly their metabolites) were detected almost in all water samples because of their previous use. Also, PCBs and PAHs were found almost for all analyzed samples. Their presence could be because of elevated activity and ship transport in port area. The found levels for these priority substances in waters of Port of Durres was higher / comparable with reported levels of them from others stations of Adriatic Sea, Albania part.
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