Organic contaminants in an agricultural soil with a known history of sewage sludge amendments: polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons

• Published in: Environmental science & technology Vol. 24; no. 11; pp. 1706 - 1711
• Main Authors: Wild, Simon R, Waterhouse, Keith S, McGrath, Stephen P, Jones, Kevin C
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC American Chemical Society 01.11.1990
• Subjects: 540220 - Environment, Terrestrial- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport- (1990-); agricultural soils; AGRICULTURAL WASTES; Agronomy. Soil science and plant productions; APPLICATION METHODS; AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS; AROMATICS; BIODEGRADACION; BIODEGRADATION; Biological and medical sciences; BOUE RESIDUAIRE; CHROMATOGRAPHY; COMPILED DATA; CULTURAL SOIL TYPES; DATA; ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES; EXPERIMENTATION; EXPERIMENTOS; EXPERIMENTS; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; HIDROCARBUROS AROMATICOS; HYDROCARBONS; HYDROCARBURE AROMATIQUE; INFORMATION; land application; LIQUID COLUMN CHROMATOGRAPHY; LODOS RESIDUALES; LONG TERM EXPERIMENTS; METHODE D'APPLICATION; METODOS DE APLICACION; NUMERICAL DATA; ORGANIC COMPOUNDS; ORGANIC WASTES; POLLUTANTS; POLLUTION DU SOL; POLUCION DEL SUELO; POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS; SEPARATION PROCESSES; SEWAGE; SEWAGE SLUDGE; SLUDGES; Soil and water pollution; SOIL POLLUTION; Soil science; SOILS; TIPOS DE SUELOS CULTIVABLES; TYPE DE SOL DE CULTURE; WASTES; Top soil; Pollutant behavior; Europe; Cultivated soil; England; Great britain; United Kingdom; Polycyclic aromatic compound; Sewage sludge; Amendment; Micropollutant; Chemical concentration; Land disposal
• ISSN: 0013-936X; 1520-5851; 1520-5851
• DOI: 10.1021/es00081a013

The fate and behaviour of trace organics in an agricultural soil subject to sewage sludge amendments were studied, with particular reference to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH). A plot at the Woburn Market Garden experiment, managed by Rothamsted Experimetnal Station, received controlled applications of sewage sludge between 1942 and 1961, but had remained untreated since. Soil PAH concentrations increased between 1942 and 1960 and subsequently declined. By 1984, almost 85 per cent of the PAH load added in sludge was unaccounted for, mainly due to biodegradation losses and trans-boundary transfers due to ploughing. There are 30 references.