Enhanced Microbial Remediation of Long-term Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) Polluted Soils

An incubation experiment was carried out with farmland soils long-term polluted by PAHs under different carbon sources, aeration condition, and soil moisture contents. The results showed that aeration treatment enhanced degradation rates of Phe and B[a]P in soils to 59.44% and 26.14%, while submerging treatment enhanced them to 46.48% and 13.27%, respectively. Glucose and starch carbon sources were beneficial to the growth of soil microorganisms, thus accelerated the degradation of PAHs in polluted soils. Soil PAHs degradation rate was not only correlated with carbon sources, but also closely correlated with their application contents. The results also indicated soil PAHs-degrading microorganisms were positively correlated with total microorganism numbers in long-term PAHs polluted soils.