Possible sources of aliphatic hydrocarbons in sediments of Hooghly estuary, northeast coast of India

145-147Hydrocarbon content in sediments varied from 4.38 to 7.98 per cent of organic carbon. The chain lengths of hydrocarbons were from C16 to C38 carbon atoms with a strong predominance of even carbon number n-alkanes, especially in C16 –C24 range. Instead of diagenetic reaction processes, the micro-organisms in the sedimentary environment probably play a vital role in the occurrence and distribution of such type of n-alkanes