Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Soil at Different Depths under a Long-Term Experiment Depending on Fertilization

Abstract

The aim of this study was to assess the effect of long-term fertilization with manure and mineral fertilizers on the content and distribution of selected polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)—the content of a sum of 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, light and heavy PAHs in two soil layers (0–30 cm and 30–60 cm). The material for the study was composed of soil samples collected from the sixth rotation in a long-term, controlled field experiment, conducted in Bałcyny since 1986. The content of 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons was determined on a gas chromatographer coupled with an FID detector. In order to evaluate the significance of differences between the mean effects on the tested characteristics, a non-parametric Mann–Whitney U test for two independent samples was applied. A higher content of the sum (16) of PAHs was found in the 0–30 cm than in the 30–60 cm soil layer. The research results also demonstrated a higher content of the sum of light PAHs in the 30–60 cm than in the 0–30 cm soil layer. The content of heavy PAHs, in turn, was significantly higher in the upper than in the deeper soil layer. This dependence appeared in both the soil fertilized with manure and soil nourished only with mineral fertilizers.