Enhanced degradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in soil treated with an advanced oxidative process — Fenton's Reagent

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are resistant to present bioremediation practices. This study was conducted to determine if pretreatment with an advanced oxidative process (Fenton's reagent; H2O2 + FeSO4) could enhance PAH degradation in soil that had previously been exposed to crude oil. PAHs were more readily degraded after incubation for 56 d when treated with H2O2 (2.8 M) plus FeSO4 (0.1 M) compared with degradation rates without the addition of Fenton's reagent during the same time period. Overall, the use of Fenton's reagent as a pretreatment promoted the mineralization of the nine spiked PAHs by an average of 87%. Degradation of native PAH parent compounds (180 to 840 μg of PAH per kilogram of soil) in the same soil incubated with Fenton's reagent for 7 d was enhanced 44 and 39% for phenanthrene and fluoranthene, respectively, but only 5 and 1% for pyrene and chrysene, respectively, when compared with no addition of Fenton's reagent. Pretreatment of the soil with a surfactant (10 mM sodium dodecylsulfate) before the addition of Fenton's reagent increased the native PAH degradation rate 84, 83, 55, and 32% for the parent compounds phenanthrene, fluoranthene, pyrene, and chrysene, respectively, compared with no addition of Fenton's reagent. Degradation of PAHs was confirmed by HPLC‐UV analyses. The use of Fenton's reagent (OH") appears to have applications in bioremediation practices of the most recalcitrant chemical compounds in nature (PAHs), particularly with the use of surfactants.