Assessment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, polychlorinated biphenyl, in used electrical transformer oil, condensate, thermal power effluent soil and dump sites

Thermal power stations are the largest fossil-fuel-based powergenerating station in the country. Hydro and thermal generation combines natural gas as a fossil fuel to generate electricity. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and polychlorinated biphenyl (PCBs), were determined in the used electrical transformer oil, condensate and power station effluent, including the soil obtained from the condensate and electrical transformer dump site. The results revealed that PAHs had 1.119, 6.483, 0.350, 4.695, 3.314 and 0.732 (mg/ g/L), respectively. PCBs 0.052, 0.431, 1.576, 0.013 0.080 and 0.556(µ/g/L), respectively, in all the analysed samples. The power station effluent had the highest concentration of PCBs with few congeners not detected. The result suggests a risk for the community that uses river water which receives effluent from the thermal station for various domestic applications and the contamination of farm lands for various agricultural purposes.