Concentration of total petroleum and total aromatic hydrocarbons in tar balls collected from the Red Sea coast of Yemen

Abstract

The Red Sea is one of the main traffic routes of oil tankers, resulting in environmental damage and marine resource pollution due to the spillage. Quantitative analysis of tar ball was used to detect the concentrations of total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPHs) and total aromatic hydrocarbons (TAHs). In this study, six stations across the Red Sea coast of Yemen were selected according to their suitability and accessibility. An ultraviolet fluorescence technique was used to analyze the TPHs and TAHs after being extracted by an ultrasound-assisted solvent extraction procedure. The concentrations of TPHs ranged from 175.67 ± 11.20 mg/g to 708.55 ± 6.57 mg/g, and for TAHs were from 16.06 ± 1.89 mg/g to 48.25 ± 1.76 mg/g. The highest values of TPHs and TAHs were noticed in Ras Isa-II station, which reflected a continued oil spill from the Safir oil loading terminal. The study revealed significant environmental and health risks to marine organisms and humans.