Effect of surfactant on the estimation by solid phase microextraction of bioavailable pyrene in soil samples

Abstract

This study was focused on the effect of the presence of surfactant on the bioremediation efficacy and sensitivity of solid phase microextraction (SPME) in the pyrene-contaminated soil. Soils with 1.3 and 7.6% soil organic matter (SOM) were tested for biodegradation by microorganisms and extracted by aqueous solutions of the matrix used for SPME. For the biodegradation test, the presence of Triton X-100 at 5× CMC (critical micelle concentration) significantly enhanced pyrene removal for soil with lower SOM content (1.3%). However, this removal was insignificant for soil with higher SOM content (7.6%). The results may suggest that 5× CMC was not sufficient to improve significantly pyrene desorption for soil with higher SOM content. For the bioavailability test, in the absence of Triton X-100, SPME estimation of bioavailability in soils with indigenous or seeded microorganisms had an error range within 15%. However, with addition of Triton X-100, SPME estimations showed a significant decline (41 and 77%), in relation to their predicted values, for soil samples with SOM of 1.3 and 7.6%, respectively. The main reason for this underestimation is that micelle formation from the application of surfactant impacted the concentration of dissolved pyrene, rather than competitive site occupation between pyrene and surfactant molecules for SPME fiber. Thus, if soil samples contain surfactant, SPME would significantly underestimate bioavailability and risk level of PAH-contaminated sites.