Remediation of PAHs in a saline–alkaline soil amended with wastewater sludge and the effect on dynamics of C and N

Abstract

Contamination of soil with hydrocarbons occurs frequently and organic material, such as sludge, is often applied to accelerate their dissipation. Little is known, however, how sludge characteristics affect removal of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from alkaline–saline soil. Soil of the former lake Texcoco with pH 9 and electrolytic conductivity 7 dS m − 1 was contaminated with phenanthrene and anthracene and amended with sludge, sterilized sludge, sludge adjusted to maintain pH in contaminated soil or glucose plus an inorganic N and P source while emission of CO 2 and concentrations of NH 4 +, NO 3 −, NO 2 −, extractable P, phenanthrene and anthracene were monitored in an aerobic incubation experiment of 112 days. An agricultural soil from Acolman treated in the same way served as control. Contaminating the Texcoco soil increased emission of CO 2 significantly, but not in the Acolman soil. After 112 days, the largest concentration of anthracene and phenanthrene was found in the Acolman soil added with glucose and the lowest in the sludge-amended soil. The largest concentration of anthracene in the Texcoco soil was found in soil added with sterile sludge and the lowest in the sludge-amended soil. The largest concentration of phenanthrene in the Texcoco soil was found in the glucose-amended soil and the lowest in the sludge-amended soil. It was found that addition of sludge removed more phenanthrene, but not anthracene from soil compared to the unamended contaminated soil, glucose inhibited dissipation of PAHs while microorganisms in the sludge contributed to their removal, and adjustment of soil pH had no effect. Organic material can be used to accelerate removal of hydrocarbons from soil, but the effect is controlled by soil type, contaminant and organic material characteristics.