Steranes and triterpanes as a tool for identification of petroleum-type pollutants in alluvial ground waters (Danube alluvial sediments, Yugoslavia

In this paper, ground waters from the alluvial formation of the Danube River were investigated (samples were taken from boreholes within the Pancevo Oil Refinery, northern Serbia). The organic substances were extracted, their bulk composition determined, and n-alkanes were analysed in the alkane fractions, as well as the isoprenoid aliphatic alkanes, pristane and phytane (by GC analysis), and the polycyclic alkanes of the sterane and triterpane types (GC-MS analysis). The obtained results have shown that, in case that n-alkanes, pristane and phytane cannot be used (e.g. if their biodegradation has occurred in ground waters), steranes and triterpanes may serve as most useful tools in identifying oil-type pollution.