A 25-year record of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in soils amended with sewage sludges

Eric Lichtfouse, Valérie Sappin-Didier, Laurence Denaix, Giovanni Caria, Laure Metzger, Najat Amellal-Nassr, Jens Ejbye Schmidt

    Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articleResearchpeer-review

    Abstract

    We studied polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in crop soils amended with 1000 tonnes dry weight of sewage sludges per 10,000 m(2) from 1974 to 1992, then after sludges addition from 1993 to 1999. The absence of variations of total PAHs levels of control soils, averaging at 123 mu g/Kg, shows the absence of horizontal contamination. During sludges addition, the total PAHs levels in amended soils increased from 232 to 402 mu g/Kg. Seven years after sludges addition, it decreased to 275 mu g/Kg, which is still more than twice the levels of control soils. This finding shows that sludges PAHs are preserved in crop soils for long periods of time, on a human scale.
    Original languageEnglish
    JournalEnvironmental Chemistry Letters
    Volume3
    Issue number3
    Pages (from-to)140-144
    ISSN1610-3653
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2005

    Keywords

    • sewage sludge
    • maize
    • PAH
    • pollutant
    • crop
    • soil

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