The anthracene, as well as the others polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), can be removed from the soil by bioremediation, whose efficiency is limited under unfavorable physical and chemical conditions to the survival and activity of the microbial degraders. The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of pH, water content, and nitrogen, phosphorus, iron and sulfur concentrations in the bioremediation of a soil contaminated with anthracene. Samples of a sandy soil were contaminated in laboratory with anthracene (500mg kg-1) and the mineralization was evaluated by respirometry. The highest anthracene mineralization was verified in the soil with the highest water content and pH value studied. The addition of 100kg ha-1 nitrogen in the soil and the consequent reduction of CPAH-N ratio to values lesser than 120:17 reduced anthracene mineralization. The increase of phosphorus iron and sulfur availability and wide CPAH-P (120:1 to 120:22) ratios in the soil did not influence anthracene mineralization. The pH correction and appropriate water supply made possible the bioremediation of the soil polluted with anthracene in a short period of time.
biodegradation; polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon; biostimulation; soil acidity; soil moisture
