VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUNDS AND HEAVY METALS IN ASPHALT CONCRETE USED IN ROAD SURFACING OF EAST WEST ROAD, NIGERIA

Authors

  • G. N. Iwuoha Department of Pure and Industrial Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria.
  • C. Udoh

Abstract

Volatile organic compounds and some heavy metals present in very fresh asphalt concrete to be applied on the Rumokoro-Choba axis of the East-West road of Port Harcourt were investigated with Gas chromatography (GC) and AAS. The heavy metals in the asphalts are in the following order; Vn > Ni > Zn > Cr > Cu > Pb > Cd with mean values in mg/kg of 541.44 > 477 0.4 > 149.42 > 110.89 > 100.83 > 46.86 > 24.99 respectively. The results showed ten of the thirteen detected VOCs are mono-cyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, Naphthalene being the only polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon. Naphthalene followed closely by dichlorobenzene has the highest mean concentrations of 105.17 mg/kg and 102.63 mg/kg in the samples respectively. Chloromethane, ortho and para xylene have the least mean concentrations of 15.77 mg/kg, 17.70 mg/kg and 18.64 mg/kg respectively in the samples. These values being well above the limit for VOCs emissions, makes it expedient to drastically improve asphalt concrete quality, mode of application and reduce VOCs emissions in asphalt concretes used for asphalt paving.  Keywords: VOCs, Asphalt concrete, Heavy metals, Environment  

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Published

2017-02-10

How to Cite

Iwuoha, G. N., & Udoh, C. (2017). VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUNDS AND HEAVY METALS IN ASPHALT CONCRETE USED IN ROAD SURFACING OF EAST WEST ROAD, NIGERIA. Journal of Chemical Society of Nigeria, 41(1). Retrieved from http://www.journals.chemsociety.org.ng/index.php/jcsn/article/view/54

Issue

Vol. 41 No. 1 (2016)

Section

Articles

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Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) 4.0 License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work’s authorship and initial publication in this journal.