Briefing: A study on biological remediation and ecotoxicity evaluation of BaP-contaminated soil

Abstract

Benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) is a hydrophobic and recalcitrant organic compound that is often identified in contaminated soils and sediments. This study used a short-term biocatalytic method for the remediation of BaP-contaminated soil. Daphnia magna was used to evaluate the toxicity of the treated soil. Reducing the BaP concentration in the soil to lower than 2 mg/kg was the ultimate goal. The experimental treatment used a microreactor to measure the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) generated by the biocatalytic reaction. The haemoglobin that was not introduced into the reactor resulted in twice the amount of released carbon dioxide, as the haemoglobin was used as a carbon source. A reduction in the BaP concentration from 9·4 mg/l to a final concentration of 1·12 mg/l demonstrated the ability to restore the soil contaminated with BaP by the biocatalyst and the biodegradability of the coupling mechanism. An ecotoxicity analysis of D. magna was carried out after a 35 d biological treatment process. As a result, the ecotoxicity value was analysed as 0·0 toxic units.