Content of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in soil fertilized with organic materials derived from waste

Abstract

The aim of the research was to determine the influence of fertilization with waste organic materials on the content of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in soil. Samples obtained in the third year of the field experiment were analysed. The field experiment comprised 7 treatments: a non-fertilized soil and a soil fertilized with mineral fertilizers, cattle manure, green waste compost, sewage sludge, compost from sewage sludge and straw as well as with a mixture of sewage sludge and hard coal ash. Maize, which was cultivated for silage, was the test plant. The content of 16 compounds belonging to the group of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (according to the list of the United States Environmental Protection Agency) in the soil was determined using gas chromatography with mass detection, after solid phase extraction. The total content of the 16 PAHs was lower in the soil fertilized with manure and compost from sewage sludge and straw than in the control soil, and higher in the soil fertilized with green waste compost as well as with the mixture of sewage sludge and ash. It was determined that the PAHs content in the soil of the two remaining treatments was close to the content found in the non-fertilized soil. 4-ring compounds constituted the highest share among polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.