Abstract:
The distribution and transportation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) contamination in soil under sulfate-reducing conditions were studied through column experimentation.Phenanthrene,anthracene and pyrene were selected as representative PAHs,and their vertical distributions in the soil column,their mass concentrations,and sulfate radical ion and E
h values in leaching solution weredetected under simulated sulfate-reducing conditions.Also,the mass balance of PAHswas analyzed to calculate the biodegradation rate of PAHs.The result showed that the leaching ratios of phenanthrene and anthracene were not more than 2%,andtheir residual ratios after 120 days were 51.87% and 51.21%,respectively.However,more than 90% of pyrene was absorbed in the soil and not detected in theleaching solution.The concentrations of sulfate radical ion and E
h of theleaching solution decreased with leaching time; this was attributed to O
2 depletion.Phenanthrene,anthracene and pyrene degraded under sulfate-reducing conditions,and,after 120 days,their biodegradation ratios were 47.41%,48.10% and 3.61%,respectively.Pyrene degradation was slowest.The experiment result indicated that phenanthrene,anthracene and pyrene could be degraded by acclimated native microorganisms in soil under sulfate-reducing conditions,which provided a theoretical basis for in-situ remediation of PAHs pollution in soil.