Source Apportionment of Atmospheric PAHs in the Western Balkans by Natural Abundance Radiocarbon Analysis

Progress in source apportionment of priority combus tion-derived atmospheric pollutants can be made by an inverse approach to inventory emissions, namely, receptor-based compound class-specific radiocarbon analysis (CCSRA) of target pollutants. In the present study, CCSRA of the combustion-derived polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) present in the atmosphere of the countries of the former republic of Yugoslavia was performed. The carbon stable isotope composition (δ13C) of PAHs varied between −27.68 and −27.19‰, whereas Δ14C values ranged from −568‰ for PAHs sampled in Kosovo to −288‰ for PAHs sampled in the Sarajevo area. The application of an isotopic mass balance model to these Δ14C data revealed a significant contribution (35−65%) from the combustion of non-fossil material to the atmospheric PAH pollution, even in urban and industrialized areas. Furthermore, consistency was observed between the isotopic composition of PAHs obtained by high-volume sampling and those collected by passive sampling. T...