Distribution of BTEX in Soils of an Urban Area: Kanpur Region, India

Abstract

Benzene, Toluene, Ethylbenzene and Xylenes (BTEX) are among the most harmful volatile organic compounds (VOCs) present in our ambient environment in all the three media namely, air, water and soil. They are included in the priority list by USEPA (the United States Environmental Protection Agency) as most hazardous substances. These are harmful to humans; benzene is a well-known carcinogenic compound. Present study was conducted to evaluate BTEX concentration in the soil samples collected from Kanpur region inside the IIT Kanpur campus as well outside the campus these sites are residential, commercial, rural, industrial and highway locations. Gas Chromatography–Flame Ionization Detector (GC-FID) was used to determine the concentration of BTEX in this study. A total of 140 samples were collected and analyzed to determine the concentration of BTEX in soil samples. Five specific sites were chosen for the samples collection: 28 samples have been collected from each area viz. IITK campus, Shivli, Bithoor, Panki and Jajmau. The maximum BTEX concentration in soil samples observed was 87.4 mg/kg at Jajmau site. Toluene concentration was higher than other compounds at all the sites. The VOCs concentration levels at other sites were in the order of Jajmau>Panki>Bithoor>Shivli> IIT campus. The average concentration of total BTEX varied e.g. at IIT campus (33.5 ± 16.5 mg/kg), at Shivli (36.6 ± 13.2 mg/kg), at Bithoor (52.3 ± 4.9 mg/kg), at Panki (60.2 ± 11.3 mg/kg) and at Jajmau (69.9 ± 8.7 mg/kg). Our study documents the baseline information of BTEX concentrations in the soil samples in Kanpur.