Desorption and bioavailability of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in contaminated soil subjected to long-term in situ biostimulation.

ABSTRACT: The distribution and potential bioavailability of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in soil from a former manufactured-gas plant (MGP) site were examined before and after long-term biostimulation under simulated in situ conditions. Treated soil was collected from the oxygenated zones of two continuous-flow columns, one subjected to biostimulation and the other serving as a control, and separated into low- and high-density fractions. In the original soil, over 50% of the total PAH mass was associated with lower density particles, which made up <2% of the total soil mass. However, desorbable fractions of PAHs were much lower in the low-density material than in the high-density material. After more than 500 d of biostimulation, significant removal of total PAHs occurred in both the high

SUBMITTER: Richardson SD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3215808 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature