Preliminary screening of co-substrates for bioremediation of pyrene-contaminated soil through composting.

The feasibility of using different organic amendments of different origin and properties in the bioremediation of pyrene-contaminated soil by means of composting has been tested. The selected pyrene concentration was 1g of pyrene per kg of dry soil. The organic amendments used include: raw organic fraction of municipal solid wastes (OFMSW), industrial compost from OFMSW composting (COFMSW), compost derived from home composting of OFMSW (HCOFMSW), anaerobically digested sludge (ADS), non-digested activated sludge (NDS) and centrifuged non-digested activated sludge (CNDS). The degradation rate was related to the amendment properties that directly affected the composting process. Raw OFMSW was not capable to enhance pyrene degradation in comparison to control, but stable HCOFMSW exhibited the highest removal rate (69%). The amendments stability and the temperatures reached as a consequence influenced the process, and thermophilic temperatures showed an inhibition effect on the microbial activity related to pyrene degradation. Some of the tested wastes need to be further investigated to find inexpensive organic amendments for soil bioremediation.