The fate of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons during sewage sludge digestion

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Abstract
The potential of anaerobic sludge digestion for the amelioration of the effects of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons following sludge disposal is largely unknown. This study examines the removal of fourteen polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in batch incubation both with and without the addition of sodium azide to arrest biological activity. Statistically significant removals of benzo(ghi)perylene, indeno(1,2,3‐cd)pyrene and coronene were observed over 32 days of incubation. The removal was concluded to be non‐biological. A small but statistically significant increase was observed in the case of benzo(b)naptho(2,1‐d)thiophene. It is concluded that further mechanistic study is required.