Abstract:

An ecotoxicological approach is used to assess the efficiency of an in-batch bioremediation process in reducing environmental toxicity of a soil polluted with Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs). Microbial strains, able to use PAHs as a sole source of carbon, were added to a soil artificially contaminated with naphthalene, anthracene, phenanthrene, pyrene, and benzo[a]pyrene, with concentrations ranging from 0.4 to 0.1 mg/g. A phytoxicity test (Lepidium sativum) a chronic assay (Ceriodaphnia dubia) and acute assays (Daphnia magna, Artemia salina and Ceriodaphnia dubia) were performed after by incubating soil spiked with selected microbial strains and PHAs for 2 months. PAHs concentration was measured monthly by High Pressure Liquid Cromatography. A decrement of PHAs was observed as result of microbial metabolism. The obtained data showed a positive correlation with the decrement of PAHs for acute and phytotoxicity tests, while an opposite result was observed for chronic assays. The opportunity to implement ecotoxicological assays in the evaluation of remediation process efficiency is discussed.