Development of Engineered Natural Organic Sorbents for Environmental Applications:  3. Reducing PAH Mobility and Bioavailability in Contaminated Soil and Sediment Systems

• Published in: Environmental science & technology 2007-04, Vol.41 (8), p.2901-2907
• Main Authors: Tang, Jixin, Petersen, Elijah J, Huang, Qingguo, Weber, Walter J
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adsorption; Air. Soil. Water. Waste. Feeding; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Animals; Applied ecology; Applied sciences; Bioaccumulation; Biological and medical sciences; Biological Availability; Decontamination. Miscellaneous; Earth sciences; Earth, ocean, space; Ecotoxicology, biological effects of pollution; Eisenia foetida; Engineering and environment geology. Geothermics; Environment. Living conditions; Environmental engineering; Exact sciences and technology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Geologic Sediments - chemistry; Humans; Medical sciences; Oligochaeta - metabolism; Organic chemicals; Organic Chemicals - chemistry; Pollution; Pollution, environment geology; Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons - chemistry; Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons - pharmacokinetics; Public health. Hygiene; Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine; Sediments; Soil - analysis; Soil and sediments pollution; Soil contaminants; Soil contamination; Soil Pollutants - chemistry; Sorbents; Terrestrial environment, soil, air
• ISSN: 0013-936X; 1520-5851
• DOI: 10.1021/es061736k

The effects of engineered natural organic amendments on two measures of the environmental “availability” of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) associated with soil and sediment samples are assessed. Two soils spiked with pyrene alone and a sediment spiked with a mixture of 4 PAH compounds were amended with raw or superheated-water processed peat or soybean stalks, then aged for periods of either 62 or 105 days. The aged soils were then examined with respect to bioaccumulation of spiked pyrene by earthworms (Eisenia foetida), and to its human bioaccessibility as measured by extraction with simulated gastrointestinal fluid. Additions of processed amendments reduced both measures of availability by factors ranging from 7.6 to 27.0 for earthworm bioaccumulation and from 2.3 to 8.8 for gastrointestinal extractability. All PAH compounds spiked to the sediment were reduced to varying extents in their availabilities to E. foetida and leachabilities by water by both processed and raw organic amendments.