Changes in the contents of selected polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in soils of various types.

Magdalena Banach-Szott,Jaroslaw Pakula,Alicja Wisniewska,Bozena Debska

doi:10.1007/s11356-014-3901-9

Abstract

The aim of the paper was to determine the stability and the decomposition intensity of selected polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (fluorene, anthracene, pyrene, and chrysene) in soils that are under agricultural use. Soil was sampled from the arable layer that is representative of the Kujawy and Pomorze Provinces, which are located in the northwestern part of Poland. The soil samples were polluted with selected PAHs at an amount corresponding to 10 mg PAHs/kg. PAH-polluted soil samples were incubated for 10, 30, 60, 120, 180, and 360 days at a temperature of 20–25 °C and a fixed moisture of 50 % field water capacity. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used to determine the content of PAHs. It was found that the process of the degradation of PAHs was most intensive during the first 30 days of the experiment; however, three-ring PAHs (fluorene and anthracene) definitely decomposed faster than the four-ring ones (pyrene and chrysene). The results also confirm the significant role of soil organic matter in sorption and activation processes of PAHs.

Highlights

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are compounds that occur in the air (Lee et al 1981), water (Renner et al 1997), and, mostly, in soil and sediments (De Voogt et al 1996; Martens et al 1997; Schantz et al 1997)
Some authors (Fries 1995; Kohl and Rice 1998), when comparing the sorption of fluorene, which represents threering PAHs and five- and six-ring compounds, found a greater share in the sorption of humic and fulvic acids than humins for fluorene, which is due to the small size of the fluorene molecule and its greater solubility in water, which accounts for its capacity to form bonds with humic and fulvic acids, which are not accessible to PAHs with a greater number of rings
The decomposition rate of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons that were introduced into soils depended on the stage of the experiment

Summary

Introduction

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are compounds that occur in the air (Lee et al 1981), water (Renner et al 1997), and, mostly, in soil and sediments (De Voogt et al 1996; Martens et al 1997; Schantz et al 1997).

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion