Persistence and fate of anthracene and benzo(a)pyrene in municipal sludge treated soil

Greenhouse studies using pots and microcosms were conducted to investigate the persistence and fate of nonlabeled and {sup 14}C-labeled anthracene (ANT) and benzo(a)Pyrene (B(a)P) in sludge treated soil. Results indicated that ANT degraded rapidly (t{sub {1/2}} {approx} 3 wk) from the experimental systems, but that B(a)P was persistent. Cropping did not affect the persistence of either compound. On completion of the experiments {le} 10% of the ANT added to soil was recovered intact, whereas 78% of the B(a)P added to soil was recovered intact. Most ({ge}85%) of the {sup 14}C added to soil as labeled ANT and B(a)P was accounted for. Recoveries of {sup 14}CO{sub 2} indicated significant mineralization of ANT, but not of B(a)P. Trivial amounts ({le}0.2%) of {sup 14}C were recovered as volatile organics and in plant materials, but large amounts were recovered from soil. A considerable proportion of the ANT derived {sup 14}C in soil was not extracted with acetone/hexane, which indicated that it had been converted to bound residue. a much smaller proportion of B(a)P than of ANT derived {sup 14}C in soil was converted to bound residue. No evidence was obtained for uptake of intact ANT or B(a)P by ryegrass (lolium multiflorum Lam.), soybean [Glycinemaxmore » (L.) Merr.], and cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata L.). 25 refs., 3 figs., 6 tabs.« less