Compost-assisted Bioremediation of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons

Soil pollution has become a major environmental issue as a result of intensive agricultural, mining, and industrial activities. Soil contamination indicates the presence of toxic substances in concentrations high enough to cause risk to human health and the ecosystem. Furthermore, soil contamination occurs when the concentration of the target contaminant exceeds its background concentrations attributable to natural geogenic inputs. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the environment are derived from partial combustion of organic substances, and accordingly, heavy industries and transport are considered as the major sources of PAH contamination. The high hydrophobicity and low water solubility of PAH compounds influence their strong adsorption to soil components, thereby affecting the bioavailability and subsequent degradation. Bioremediation of PAH contaminated soil is an attractive technology because of lower capital investments, a limited interruption of the contaminated site activity, and a green-based, environmentally friendly approach compared to alternative, chemically-based remediation technologies. In this chapter, the sources and interactions of PAH in soil and the bioremediation of PAH contaminated soil using composting will be described.