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Bioremediation of a Soil Industrially Contaminated by Wood Preservatives—Degradation of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons and Monitoring of Coupled Arsenic Translocation

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Abstract

Two commercially available aerobic bioremediation methods (Daramend® and BioSan) were utilized to study the aerobic biodegradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and the effect of the simultaneously present arsenic. The soil was collected at an old wood preservation site, and the initial PAH16-concentration was 46 mg/kg, with mainly high molecular weight congeners. The As concentration was 105 mg/kg with low availability as assessed with sequential extraction. To enhance the availability of PAH, the effect of a nonionic surfactant was evaluated. Degradation of both low and high molecular weight PAH was observed; however, after 30 weeks, the degradation was generally low and no treatment was significantly better than the others. The treatments had, on the other hand, an effect on As remobilization, with increased As concentration in the available fraction after treatment. This may be due to both the microbial activity and the presence of anoxic microsites in the soil. The overall efficiency of the biological treatment was further evaluated using the standardized ecotoxicity test utilizing Vibrio fischeri (Microtox®). The toxicity test demonstrated that the bioremediation led to an increase in toxicity, especially in treatments receiving surfactant. The surfactant implied an increase in contaminant availability but also a decrease in surface tension, which might have contributed to the overall toxicity increase.

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Acknowledgements

This research was funded by the Knowledge Foundation. Elmer Schöbel and Linda Söderling, Sakab, are especially thanked for their help with the GC/MS. Akzo Nobel, Stenungsund, Sweden, is thanked for providing the surfactant.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Man-Technology-Environment Research Center, School of Science and Technology, Örebro University, S-701 82, Örebro, Sweden

    Kristin Elgh-Dalgren & Patrick A. W. van Hees

  2. Sakab AB, Norrtorp, S-692 85, Kumla, Sweden

    Zandra Arwidsson & Thomas von Kronhelm

  3. School for Sustainable Development of Society and Technology, Mälardalen University, Box 883, S-721 23, Västerås, Sweden

    Veronica Ribé & Sylvia Waara

  4. Eurofins Environment Sweden AB, Box 737, S-531 17, Lidköping, Sweden

    Patrick A. W. van Hees

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  1. Kristin Elgh-Dalgren
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  2. Zandra Arwidsson
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Correspondence to Kristin Elgh-Dalgren.

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Elgh-Dalgren, K., Arwidsson, Z., Ribé, V. et al. Bioremediation of a Soil Industrially Contaminated by Wood Preservatives—Degradation of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons and Monitoring of Coupled Arsenic Translocation. Water Air Soil Pollut 214, 275–285 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-010-0422-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-010-0422-0

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