Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon degradation in soil surrounding an outdoor coal storage pile

Soil surrounding an outdoor coal storage pile is impacted by highly acidic leachate containing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and heavy metals. Soil samples were taken along transects radiating out from an outdoor coal storage pile and soil microcosms amended with ¹⁴C-labelled naphthalene were set up to assess the ability of organisms within this acidic soil to degrade PAHs. In the less acidic transect all soil samples were capable of naphthalene mineralization. In the more acidic transect, samples taken from points further away from the coal pile showed faster mineralization rates than samples taken from points close to the coal pile. Key words: coal pile, acidic soils, PAH degradation, naphthalene mineralization, soil microcosms.