Assessment of natural attenuation of volatile aromatic hydrocarbons in agricultural soil contaminated with diesel fuel.
A diesel fuel spill was simulated on a 12-m(2) plot of agricultural land, at a concentration of 1 Lm(-2) of soil. The natural attenuation of Volatile Aromatic Hydrocarbons (VAHs) was monitored at different soil depths over a period of 50 days. The natural attenuation of VAHs in the surface layer would be attributed to two processes, namely: volatilisation (mainly linked to the boiling point of each VAH, with t(1/2) from 2 to 71 min for benzene and p-isopropyltoluene, respectively); and dissipation (related to the boiling point as well as the analyte-soil matrix interaction, with t(1/2) from 2 to 169 h for benzene and p-isopropyltoluene, respectively). As expected, in the deeper layers, dissipation prevails over volatilisation. 50 days after the spill, only two VAHs were detected in the surface layer, at concentrations of 5-20 ngg(-1), which had disappeared after 80 days of the spill.
Serrano
Antonio
A
Department of Analytical Chemistry, Campus of Rabanales, University of Córdoba, E-14071 Córdoba, Spain.
Gallego
Mercedes
M
González
José Luis
JL
D000383:Agriculture; D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D005742:Gasoline; D006841:Hydrocarbons, Aromatic; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D012989:Soil Pollutants; D013995:Time; D014835:Volatilization
D005742:Gasoline; D006841:Hydrocarbons, Aromatic; D012989:Soil Pollutants