Comparison of a bioremediation process of PAHs in a PAH-contaminated soil at field and laboratory scales

Christine Lors (1, 2) , Denis Damidot (1) , Jean-François Ponge (3) , Frédéric Périé (4)

1 CERI MP - IMT Nord Europe - Centre for Materials and Processes
2 LGCgE - Laboratoire de Génie Civil et Géo-Environnement (LGCgE) - ULR 4515
3 MAOAC - Mécanismes adaptatifs : des organismes aux communautés
4 TOTAL, Pôle R & D

A laboratory experiment was carried on the same initial soil and at the same time than a windrow treatment in order to compare results at field and laboratory scales for a soil mainly contaminated with PAHs. After 6 months, laboratory experiments gave similar but less scattered results than those obtained in the field indicating that the field biotreatment was well optimised. The total amount of PAHs degraded after 6 months was ca. 90% and degradation rates followed a negative exponential trend. Relative degradation rates of 3- and 4-ring PAHs were about 32 and 7.2 times greater than those of 5- and 6-ring PAHs, respectively. With respect to the bacterial community, bacteria belonging to Gamma-proteobacteria persisted whereas Beta-proteobacteria appeared after three months of biotreatment when PAH concentration was low enough to render the soil non-ecotoxic.

Mots clés: bioremediation; contaminated soils; polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs); laboratory and field experiments; bacterial diversity

Domaines: Science des sols

Christine Lors, Denis Damidot, Jean-François Ponge, Frédéric Périé. Comparison of a bioremediation process of PAHs in a PAH-contaminated soil at field and laboratory scales. Environmental Pollution, 2012, 165, pp.11-17. ⟨10.1016/j.envpol.2012.02.004⟩. ⟨hal-00682278⟩