Source apportionment of PAHs using Unmix model for Yantai costal surface sediments, China

16 Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in 20 surface sediments from Yantai offshore area were measured. The total PAHs concentrations varied from 450.0 to 4,299.0 ng/g, with a mean of 2,492.9 ng/g. The high molecular weight (HMW) PAHs were most abundant and the ratio ranged from 54.9 % to 81.6 % in all sampling stations, indicating that pyrogenic sources were a predominant contribution to PAHs pollution. The source contributions of PAHs were estimated based on the EPA Unmix 6.0 receptor model. The data were well simulated due to a high correlation coefficient between predicted and measured PAHs concentration (R(2) = 0.99). A mixed source of coal combustion and traffic pollution contributed to 38.9 % of the measured PAHs, followed by diesel emission (38.8 %) and a mixed source of biomass combustion and gasoline engine emissions (22.3 %). The current findings further validated that Unmix model could be applied to apportion the sources of PAHs in sediments.