Rapid quantification of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin (HPCD) soil extracts by synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy (SFS)

Synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy (SFS) was directly applied to rapidly quantify selected polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs: benzo[a]pyrene and pyrene) in aqueous hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin (HPCD) soil extract solutions from a variety of aged contaminated soils containing four different PAHs. The method was optimized and validated. The results show that SFS can be used to analyse benzo[a]pyrene and pyrene in HPCD based soil extracts with high sensitivity and selectivity. The linear calibration ranges were 4.0x10(-6)-1.0x10(-3)mM for benzo[a]pyrene and 6.0x10(-6)-1.2x10(-3)mM for pyrene in 10mM HPCD aqueous solution alone. The detection limits according to the error propagation theory for benzo[a]pyrene and pyrene were 3.9x10(-6) and 5.4x10(-6)mM, respectively. A good agreement between SFS and HPLC was reached for both determinations of PAHs in HPCD alone and in soil HPCD extracts. Hence, SFS is a potential means to simplify the present non-exhaustive hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin (HPCD)-based extraction technique for the evaluation of PAH bioavailability in soil.     

The estimation of PAH bioavailability in contaminated sediments using hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin and Triton X-100 extraction techniques

A study was conducted to investigate whether cyclodextrins and surfactants can be used to predict polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) bioavailability in contaminated sediments. Two sediment samples were extracted with aqueous solutions of hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin (HPCD) and Triton X-100. PAH removal during extraction was compared with PAH removal during biodegradation and solid-phase extraction. The latter two methods were used as reference methods to establish which part of the PAHs could be biodegraded and to what extent biodegradation was governed by bioavailability limitations. It was demonstrated that HPCD extraction followed solid-phase extraction and removed primarily readily bioavailable PAHs, while Triton X-100 extracted both readily and poorly bioavailable PAHs. Moreover, HPCD did not affect the degradation of PAHs in biodegradation experiments, while Triton X-100 enhanced the degradation of low molecular weight PAHs. It was concluded that HPCD extraction may provide a good method for the prediction of PAH bioavailability. Triton X-100 extraction is unfit for the prediction of PAH bioavailability.     

Comparison of selected non-exhaustive extraction techniques to assess PAH availability in dissimilar soils

Recently, it has become apparent that the use of total contaminant concentrations as a measure of potential contaminant exposure to plants or soil organisms is inappropriate and that bioavailability of contaminants is a better measure of potential exposure. In light of this, non-exhaustive extraction techniques are being investigated to assess their appropriateness in determining bioavailability. In this study, phenanthrene extractability using hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin (HPCD) and desorption kinetics using butan-1-ol (BuOH) were determined in three dissimilar spiked soils. The soils were extracted after 1 d, 40 d and 80 d of soil-compound contact time. The amount of phenanthrene extracted by HPCD was compared to the rapidly desorbed fraction removed by BuOH. Further experiments using the same soils and extraction methods to assess the relative extractability of phenanthrene, pyrene and benzo(a)pyrene were conducted. Overall, the extraction methods used in this study had different extraction efficiencies. Results suggest that as compound hydrophobicity increased, BuOH became a more exhaustive extractant with respect to HPCD, especially for soils with high clay and organic matter content. These results are important as they highlight differences between two contrasting non-exhaustive extraction techniques both of which have been suggested to be appropriate in the assessment of bioavailability.     

Hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin extractability and bioavailability of phenanthrene in humin and humic acid fractions from different soils and sediments

Organic matter (OM) plays a vital role in controlling polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) bioavailability in soils and sediments. In this study, both a hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HPCD) extraction test and a biodegradation test were performed to evaluate the bioavailability of phenanthrene in seven different bulk soil/sediment samples and two OM components (humin fractions and humic acid (HA) fractions) separated from these soils/sediments. Results showed that both the extent of HPCD-extractable phenanthrene and the extent of biodegradable phenanthrene in humin fraction were lower than those in the respective HA fraction and source soil/sediment, demonstrating the limited bioavailability of phenanthrene in the humin fraction. For the source soils/sediments and the humin fractions, significant inverse relationships were observed between the sorption capacities for phenanthrene and the amounts of HPCD-extractable or biodegradable phenanthrene (p?<?0.05), suggesting the importance of the sorption capacity in affecting desorption and biodegradation of phenanthrene. Strong linear relationships were observed between the amount of HPCD-extractable phenanthrene and the amount degraded in both the bulk soils/sediments and the humin fractions, with both slopes close to 1. On the other hand, in the case of phenanthrene contained in HA, a poor relationship was observed between the amount of phenanthrene extracted by HPCD and the amount degraded, with the former being much less than the latter. The results revealed the importance of humin fraction in affecting the bioavailability of phenanthrene in the bulk soils/sediments, which would deepen our understanding of the organic matter fractions in affecting desorption and biodegradation of organic pollutants and provide theoretical support for remediation and risk assessment of contaminated soils and sediments.     

Butanol extraction to predict bioavailability of PAHs in soil

The feasibility of a mild-solvent extraction procedure to predict the bioavailability of individual polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in soil was assessed. The quantities that were degraded during the course of biodegradation of phenanthrene and pyrene in soil with or without plants correlated with the amounts extracted by n-butanol, with R2 values of 0.971 and 0.994, respectively. Six consecutive groups of earthworms removed ca. 70% of the pyrene remaining after extensive biodegradation, a value similar to the quantity extracted by n-butanol. The amount of chrysene aged in sterilized soil that was extracted by n-butanol was not statistically different from the quantities assimilated by earth-worms (Eisenia fetida) introduced into the soil. Such a mild extraction procedure may be useful as a means of predicting PAH bioavailability.     

Correlations of Eisenia fetida metabolic responses to extractable phenanthrene concentrations through time

Eisenia fetida earthworms were exposed to phenanthrene for thirty days to compare hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HPCD) extraction of soil and ¹H NMR earthworm metabolomics as indicators of bioavailability. The phenanthrene 28-d LC₅₀ value was 750 mg/kg (632-891, 95% confidence intervals) for the peat soil tested. The initial phenanthrene concentration was 319 mg/kg, which biodegraded to 16 mg/kg within 15 days, at which time HPCD extraction suggested that phenanthrene was no longer bioavailable. Multivariate statistical analysis of ¹H NMR spectra for E. fetida tissue extracts indicated that phenanthrene exposed and control earthworms differed throughout the 30 day experiment despite the low phenanthrene concentrations present after 15 days. This metabolic response was better correlated to total phenanthrene concentrations (Q² = 0.59) than HPCD-extractable phenanthrene concentrations (Q² = 0.46) suggesting that ¹H NMR metabolomics offers considerable promise as a novel, molecular-level method to directly monitor the bioavailability of contaminants to earthworms in the environment.     

Remediation of PAH contaminated soils: application of a solid-liquid two-phase partitioning bioreactor

The feasibility of a two-step treatment process has been assessed at laboratory scale for the remediation of soil contaminated with a model mixture of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) (phenanthrene, pyrene, and fluoranthene). The initial step of the process involved contacting contaminated soil with thermoplastic, polymeric pellets (polyurethane). The ability of three different mobilizing agents (water, surfactant (Biosolve) and isopropyl alcohol) to enhance recovery of PAHs from soil was investigated and the results were compared to the recovery of PAHs from dry soil. The presence of isopropyl alcohol had the greatest impact on PAH recovery with approximately 80% of the original mass of PAHs in the soil being absorbed by the polymer pellets in 48 h. The second stage of the suggested treatment involved regeneration of the PAH loaded polymers via PAH biodegradation, which was carried out in a solid-liquid two-phase partitioning bioreactor. In addition to the PAH containing polymer pellets, the bioreactor contained a microbial consortium that was pre-selected for its ability to degrade the model PAHs and after a 14 d period approximately 78%, 62% and 36% of phenanthrene, pyrene, and fluoranthene, respectively, had been desorbed from the polymer and degraded. The rate of phenanthrene degradation was shown to be limited by mass transfer of phenanthrene from the polymer pellets. In case of pyrene and fluoranthene a combination of mass transfer and biodegradation rate might have been limiting.     

Bioavailability of atrazine, pyrene and benzo[a]pyrene in European river waters.

Thirteen river waters and one humic lake water were characterized. The effects of dissolved organic matter (DOM) on the bioavailability of atrazine, pyrene and benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) was evaluated. Binding of the chemicals by DOM was analyzed with the equilibrium dialysis technique. For each of the water samples, 24 h bioconcentration factors (BCFs) of the chemicals were measured in Daphnia magna. The relationship between DOM and other water characteristics (including conductivity, water hardness and pH), and bioavailability of the chemicals was studied by performing several statistical analyses, including multiple regression analyses, to determine how much of the variation of BCF values could be explained by the quantity and quality of DOM. The bioavailability of atrazine was not affected by DOM or any other water characteristics. Although equilibrium dialysis showed binding of pyrene to DOM, the bioavailability of pyrene was not significantly affected by DOM. The bioavailability of B[a]P was significantly affected by both the quality and quantity of DOM. Multiple regression analyses, using the quality (ABS270 and HbA%) and quantity of DOM as variables, explained up to 70% of the variation in BCF of B[a]P in the waters studied.     

The effect of ryegrass (Lolium perenne) on decrease of PAH content in long term contaminated soil

The biodegradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in microecosystems containing long-term contaminated soil was investigated. Soil was contaminated by different chemicals, including PAHs since World War II. Aging of the soil was expected to act as a principal factor limiting biodegradation. Half of the microecosystems contained ryegrass (Lolium perenne) and long-term selected natural soil microflora originally present in contaminated soil. The others contained contaminated soil with natural microflora only. Half of the microecosystems in each parallel experiment was fertilised with N-P-K fertiliser. Cultivation was carried out at 12 and 18 months in a greenhouse with a natural photoperiod and the ability to degrade 15 chosen PAH was investigated. For analysis, the soil from each pot was divided into three horizontal layers for mutual comparison among layers and each layer was further divided into four equal samples. Soil extracts were analysed using HPLC. After a one-year-cultivation period the content of the monitored PAHs declined to 50%. Mostly, there were no significant differences between the microecosystems. Best degraded were fluoranthene and pyrene, which were the major contaminants present in original soil. Also, other compounds were successfully degraded, even benzo[a]pyrene and benzo[ghi]perylene. Dibenz[a,h]anthracene and indeno[1,2,3-cd]pyrene were the only PAHs, examined that showed no significant degradation. Although some differences between the soil layers were detected, no conclusive trends could be found. However, significantly lower concentrations of PAHs were determined mostly in the bottom layer of the analysed profiles. In vegetated microecosystems the decline of PAHs concentrations was more remarkable after 18 months cultivation.     

Further validation of the HPCD-technique for the evaluation of PAH microbial availability in soil

There is currently considerable scientific interest in finding a chemical technique capable of predicting bioavailability; non-exhaustive extraction techniques (NEETs) offer such potential. Hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin (HPCD), a NEET, is further validated through the investigation of concentration ranges, differing soil types, and the presence of co-contaminants. This is the first study to demonstrate the utility of the HPCD-extraction technique to predict the microbial availability to phenanthrene across a wide concentration range and independent of soil-contaminant contact time (123 d). The efficacy of the HPCD-extraction technique for the estimation of PAH microbial availability in soil is demonstrated in the presence of co-contaminants that have been aged for the duration of the experiment together in the soil. Desorption dynamics are compared in co-contaminant and single-PAH contaminated spiked soils to demonstrate the occurrence of competitive displacement. Overall, a single HPCD-extraction technique proved accurate and reproducible for the estimation of PAH bioavailability from soil.     

Towards a more appropriate water based extraction for the assessment of organic contaminant availability

This study correlated extractabilities of 37 d aged phenanthrene residues in four dissimilar soils with the fraction that was available for earthworm (Lumbricus rubellus) accumulation and microorganism (Pseudomonas sp.) mineralisation. Extractability was determined using two established techniques, namely, (1) a water based extraction using CO(2) equilibrated water and (2) an aqueous based hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin (HPCD) extraction. Results showed no relationship between earthworm accumulation and phenanthrene extractability using either HPCD (r(2)=0.07; slope=-4.76; n=5) or the water based extraction (r(2)=0.31; slope=-5.34; n=5). Earthworm accumulation was overestimated by both techniques. In contrast, the fraction of phenanthrene extractable using both the HPCD technique and the water based extraction correlated strongly with microbial mineralisation. However, the slopes of these linear relationships were 0.48 (r(2)=0.96; n=10), and 0.99 (r(2)=0.88; n=10) for the water based extraction and HPCD, respectively. Thus, the HPCD extraction provided values that were numerically close to the mineralisation values, whilst the water based extraction values were approximately half the mineralisation values. It is submitted that HPCD extraction provided an appropriate method of assessing the fraction of contaminant available for microbial mineralisation in these dissimilar soils.     

Phytoremediation of pyrene contaminated soils amended with compost and planted with ryegrass and alfalfa

Ryegrass (Lolium perenne) and alfalfa (Medicago sativa) were planted in pots to remediate pyrene contaminated quartz sand (as a control group), alluvial and red soils amended with and without compost. The pyrene degradation percentages in quartz sand, alluvial soil, and red soil amended with compost (5%, w/w) and planted with ryegrass and alfalfa for 90 d growth were 98-99% and 97-99%, respectively, while those of pyrene in the corresponding treatments amended without compost but planted with ryegrass and alfalfa were 91-96% and 58-89%, respectively. Further, those of pyrene in the respective treatments amended with and without compost but unplanted were 54-77% and 51-63%, respectively. Pyrene contents in both roots and aboveground parts of ryegrass and alfalfa after 90 d growth in quartz sand and the two soils amended with or without compost were trace amounts. Statistical analyses for the parameters of ryegrass planted in red and alluvial soils including the concentrations of total water-soluble volatile low molecular weight organic acids, microbial population, pyrene degradation percentage, and spiked pyrene concentration show significant correlations at 5% and mostly 1% probability levels, by the analysis of variance. It was thus suggested that the interactions among the consortia of plant root exudates, microorganisms, and amended compost in rhizosphere soils could facilitate bioavailability of pyrene and subsequently enhance its dissipation.     

Levels, persistence and bioavailability of organic contaminants present in marine harbor sediments impacted by raw sewage

As part of a program to investigate the levels, fate and bioaccumulation of organic contaminants in a polluted marine harbor, organochlorine compounds including the polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dichloro diphenyltrichloroethane and metabolites (DDTs), chlordanes, dibenzo-p-dioxins (Ds) and dibenzofurans (Fs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and sulphur hetero cycles were analysed in sediments spiked with St. John's Harbor sludge. Winter flounder (Pseudopleuronectes americanus) were exposed to these sediments containing six levels of harbor sludge during four winter months. Following exposure, sediments were reanalysed to investigate the persistence of the contaminants. The primary contaminants detected were PAHs (approximately 5000 ng/g), predominantly alkylated phenanthrenes, fluoranthene and pyrene; PCBs with a predominance of Aroclor 1260 signature (approximately 64 ng/g), DDTs (approximately 5 ng/g), hepta and octachloro dioxins and furans (approximately 0.5 ng/g) with very low levels of less chlorinated congeners. The PAHs degraded with an estimated half life of 2 to 3 months, while no significant degradation could be attributed to the other compounds. Bioaccumulation to muscle showed the potential uptake of contaminants in biota inhabiting the harbor. A dose-response relationship was observed between spiked sediments and the concentrations of PCB congener 153 and unresolved congeners 138/163/164 in muscle. Of the dioxins and furans, only 2, 3, 7, 8-tetrachlorofuran was detectable in muscle and at a similar concentration in all exposures indicating a similar bioavailability independent of the fraction of sludge in sediments. Of the PAHs, only naphthalene and methyl naphthalenes were detected in muscle, but did not display a dose-response. One bile metabolite of pyrene was quantified and demonstrates metabolism. Biota-sediment accumulation factors were of 0.2 to 7 indicating that equilibrium was approached, with the exception of the hepta and octachloro dioxins and furans which were not significantly bioaccumulated.     

Successful Treatment of Low PAH-Contaminated Sewage Sludge in Aerobic Bioreactors (7 pp) *

Background, Aims and Scope Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) are known for their adverse and cumulative effects at low concentration. In particular, the PAHs accumulate in sewage sludge during wastewater treatment, and may thereafter contaminate agricultural soils by spreading sludge on land. Therefore, sludge treatment processes constitute the unique opportunity of PAH removal before their release in the environment. In this study, the ability of aerobic microorganisms to degrade light and heavy PAHs was investigated in continuous bioreactors treating trace-level PAH-contaminated sludge. Methods Several aerobic reactors were operated under continuous and perfectly mixed conditions to simulate actual aerobic sludge digesters. Three sterile control reactors were performed at 35°C, 45°C or 55°C to assess PAH abiotic losses under mesophilic and thermophilic conditions. Three biological reactors were also operated at 35°C, 45°C or 55°C. Furthermore, 250 mM methanol were added in an additional mesophilic reactor (35°C). All reactors were fed with long-term PAH-contaminated sewage sludge, and PAH removal was assessed by inlet/outlet mass balance. In this study, PAH compounds ranged from 2 to 5-unsubstituted aromatic rings, i.e. respectively from Fluorene to Indeno(123cd)pyrene. Results and Discussion Significant abiotic losses were observed for the lightest PAHs (fluorene, phenanthrene and anthracene), while biodegradation occurred for all PAHs. More than 80% of the lightest PAHs were removed. Biodegradation rates inversely correlated with the increasing molecular weight, and seemed limited by the low bioavailability of the heaviest PAHs (only 50% of removal). The enhancement of PAH bioavailability by increasing the process temperature or adding methanol was tested. A temperature increase from 35°C to 45°C and then to 55°C significantly enhanced the biodegradation of the heaviest PAHs from 50% to 80%. However, high abiotic losses were observed for all PAHs at 55°C, which was attributed to volatilization. Optimal conditions were found at 45°C considering the low abiotic losses and the high PAH biodegradation rates. Similar performances were achieved by addition of methanol in the sludge. It was concluded that increasing temperatures or addition of methanol favored PAH diffusion from solids to an aqueous compartment, and enhanced their bioavailability to PAH-degrading microorganisms. Conclusion In this study, the use of long-term acclimated aerobic ecosystems showed the high potential of aerobic microorganisms to degrade a wide range of PAHs at trace levels. However, PAH biodegradation was likely controlled by their low bioavailability. Two aerobic processes have been finally proposed to achieve efficient decontamination of sewage sludge, at 45°C or in the presence of methanol. The PAH concentrations in reactor outlet were lower than the French requirements, and allow the treated sludge to be spread on agricultural land. Recommendations and Outlook The two proposed aerobic processes used physical or chemical diffusing agents. The global ecological impact of using the latter agents for treating trace level contamination must be considered. Since methanol was completely removed during the process, no additional harm is expected after treatment. However, an increase of temperature to 45°C could drastically increase the energy demand in full-scale plants, and therefore the ecological impact of the process. Moreover, since bioavailability controls PAH biodegradation, efficiency of the processes could also be influenced by the hydraulic parameters, such as mixing and aeration rates. Further experimentations in a pilot scale are therefore recommended, as well as a final assessment of the global environmental benefit of using such aerobic processes in the bioremediation of trace level compounds. - Abbreviations (PAHs): Ant – anthracene; B(a)A – benzo(a)anthracene ; B(b)F – benzo(b)fluoranthene; B(k)F – benzo(k)fluoranthene; B(ghi)P – benzo(g,h,i)perylene; B(a)P – benzo(a)pyrene; Chrys – chrysene; DB – dibenzo(a,h)anthracene; Fluor – fluoranthene; Fluo - fluorene; Ind – indeno(1,2,3-c,d)pyrene; Phe - phenanthrene; Pyr – pyrene - * The basis of this peer-reviewed paper is a presentation at the 9th FECS Conference on 'Chemistry and Environment', 29 August to 1 September 2004, Bordeaux, France.     

均匀电场下多环芳烃在土壤中的迁移

当循环电解液流速为800 mL/h,电解液为无菌水时,电渗流流量、菲和芘在土壤中迁移量在电压梯度为1 V/cm作用下比电压梯度为0.5 V/cm时要多;电动注入表面活性剂Tween80和HPCD均可以提高菲和芘在土壤中的迁移,注入Tween80和HPCD浓度分别为500和1 000 mg/L时,相应地Phe提高5.8倍和11.7倍、芘提高2倍和3.4倍;而BaP在水中的溶解度太小,电场作用和电动注入表面活性剂对BaP在土壤中的迁移量影响很小。为建立电动修复有机污染物污染提供了技术基础。     

Application of a luminescence-based biosensor for assessing naphthalene biodegradation in soils from a manufactured gas plant

Despite numerous reviews suggesting that microbial biosensors could be used in many environmental applications, in reality they have failed to be used for which they were designed. In part this is because most of these sensors perform in an aqueous phase and a buffered medium, which is in contrast to the nature of genuine environmental systems. In this study, a range of non-exhaustive extraction techniques (NEETs) were assessed for (i) compatibility with a naphthalene responsive biosensor and (ii) correlation with naphthalene biodegradation. The NEETs removed a portion of the total soil naphthalene in the order of methanol > HPCD > βCD > water. To place the biosensor performance to NEETs in context, a biodegradation experiment was carried out using historically contaminated soils. By coupling the HPCD extraction with the biosensor, it was possible to assess the fraction of the naphthalene capable of undergoing microbial degradation in soil.     

Chemical assays of availability to earthworms of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in soil

The bioavailable concentration of an organic pollutant is less than the concentration determined by vigorous extraction of soil. Because bioavailability varies with the particular compound, soil, and aging time, an assay for bioavailability is needed. Three methods were tested: extraction with a 25% aqueous solution of tetrahydrofuran (THF), 95% ethanol, and C18 membranes. Evaluations were conducted with a mixture of four polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) added to five dissimilar soils and with pyrene as sole PAH added to six soils, and the availability of aged and freshly added compounds was determined. Assimilation by earthworms (Eisenia fetida) was used to assess bioavailability. For extraction with THF and earthworm uptake, the correlation coefficients of determination (R2) for anthracene, chrysene, pyrene, and benzo(a)pyrene added as a mixture exceeded 0.85. The R2 values for assays with the C18 membrane were 0.77 or higher. The values for pyrene added alone were 0.710 and 0.823, respectively. R2 values for assays with ethanol often exceeded 0.87, but lower values were sometimes obtained. We suggest that such solvent or solid-phase extractions may be useful in assessing PAH bioavailability.     

Impacts of microbial redox conditions on the phase distribution of pyrene in soil-water systems

Variations in the soil/sediment organic matter (SOM)-hydrophobic organic contaminant (HOC) bindings upon microbially mediated redox conditions were examined. While the extractability of pyrene associated with soil declined after its biodegradation began during aerobic incubation, its variations were almost constant (±3.0-4.4%) during anoxic/anaerobic incubations. The dissolved organic matter released from the soil incubated under highly reduced conditions became more humified and aromatic, had a higher average molecular weight, and was more polydispersed compared to that obtained from oxic incubation, similar to the SOM alterations in the early stage of diagenesis (humification). The concentrations of pyrene in the aqueous phase increased significantly during the soil incubations under highly reduced conditions due to its favorable interaction with the altered DOM. Our results suggest that the microbially mediated redox conditions have significant impacts on SOM and should be considered for the transport, fate, bioavailability, and exposure risk of HOCs in the geo-environments.     

The fate and persistence of trifluoroacetic and chloroacetic acids in pond waters

The environmental fate of trichloro-, dichloro-, and monochloroacetic acids, and trifluoroacetic acid was investigated using field aquatic microcosms and laboratory sediment-water systems. Trifluoroacetic acid was extremely persistent and showed no degradation during a one-year field study, though it appeared to undergo transient partitioning within an unknown pond phase as the temperature of the surroundings was reduced. Of the three chloroacetic acids, trichloro had the longest residence time (induction and decay) (approximately 40 d), dichloro the shortest (approximately 4 d), and monochloro an intermediate residence time (approximately 14 d). Laboratory studies suggest that the biodegradation of trichloro-, dichloro-, and monochloroacetic acids leads primarily to the formation of chloride and oxalic, glyoxalic, and glycolic acids, respectively.     

Simultaneous mobilization of heavy metals and polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) compounds from soil with cyclodextrin and EDTA in admixture

This study evaluated the efficacy of a washing process with cyclodextrin in combination with ethylenediaminetetraacetate (EDTA) for the simultaneous mobilization of heavy metals and PCBs from a field contaminated soil. Ultrasonically aided mixing of the field contaminated soil with a combination of cyclodextrin solution (10%, w/v) and a sparing quantity (2 mmol) of EDTA, simultaneously mobilized appreciable quantities of PCBs and much of the analyte metal (Cd, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, Zn) burdens. Relative to the action of individual reagents, a combination of randomly methylated (RAMEB) or hydroxypropyl beta-cyclodextrin (HPCD) with EDTA did not alter the PCB extraction efficiency nor did the presence of cyclodextrin change the efficiency of mobilization of most heavy metals (Al, Cd, Cr, Fe, Mn, Ni, and Zn) but did increase the recovery of Cu and Pb modestly. Three sonication-washes with the same charge of reagents mobilized appreciable quantities of PCBs (40-76%) and quantitatively extracted the labile fraction of Cd, Cu, Mn, and Pb. RAMEB proved to be more efficient than HPCD for PCB extractions. Three successive extractions with a single charge of cyclodextrin mobilized almost as much PCB (RAMEB, 76%; HPCD, 40%) as did the companion extractions that used fresh reagents each time (RAMEB, 78%; HPCD, 42%). Collectively, these studies demonstrated that PCB compounds and selected heavy metals can be co-extracted efficiently from soil with three successive washes with the same washing suspension containing EDTA and cyclodextrin.