Distribution of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Surface Sediments of Kapas Island, Terengganu, Malaysia

Twelve surface sediment samples were taken from selected sampling points in Kapas Island, Terengganu. Soxhlet extraction with two steps chromatography was applied to extract the PAH compounds. Collection of PAH fraction was carried out and taken for Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis. The concentration of individual compound ranged from 0.002 to 0.076 μg/g dry weight. The highest total PAH concentration was found in S10 with 0.336 μg/g dry weight while the lowest was detected in S6 with 0.043 μg/g dry weight. Molecular index using selected compound shows that Kapas Island is dominated by pyrolytic sources. Further analysis by principle component analysis (PCA) shown that stations were divided into two distinct groups based on their location. The total PAHs of surface sediments in Kapas Island classified as being low to moderate pollution range.