Accumulation and Toxicity of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Long-Term Soil Irrigated with Treated Wastewater

Shrikanta Shankar Sethi, Balram Ambade (), Faruq Mohammad, Hamad A. Al-Lohedan and Ahmed A. Soleiman
Additional contact information
Shrikanta Shankar Sethi: Department of Chemistry, National Institute of Technology, Jamshedpur 831014, India
Balram Ambade: Department of Chemistry, National Institute of Technology, Jamshedpur 831014, India
Faruq Mohammad: Department of Chemistry, College of Science, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2455, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
Hamad A. Al-Lohedan: Department of Chemistry, College of Science, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2455, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
Ahmed A. Soleiman: College of Sciences and Engineering, Southern University, Baton Rouge, LA 70813, USA

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 18, 1-18

Abstract: Our study focuses on examining the effects of treated wastewater irrigation (TWWI) on agricultural soils in water-scarce regions, with a specific emphasis on the presence and accumulation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). This issue is particularly significant due to its potential threats to environmental security. During our research, we discovered the existence of 16 different PAHs in these soils, which are known to have harmful impacts on ecosystems and human health. The concentration of total PAHs ranged from 163.9 ng g −1 to 9177.4 ng g −1 , with 4- and 5-ring PAHs being the most dominant contributors. The PAHs Fluoranthene and Pyrene were found to be the most prevalent in all soil samples. Comparing the PAH concentrations in our research area to those reported in other studies, we observed that the agricultural areas in our study were more contaminated. Through positive matrix factorization (PMF) and diagnostic ratios (DRs) analyses, we identified petroleum combustion, vehicular emissions, as well as coal, grass, or wood combustion as the primary sources of PAH contamination. We also noted a negative correlation between clay, silt, pH, and PAH concentrations, while a significant positive relationship was observed between total organic carbon (TOC), sand, and PAHs. Based on the computed environmental risk index value, the presence of PAHs in the area poses a moderate to high level of ecological risk. TWWI was identified as the main contributor to PAHs in the agricultural soils we studied. Therefore, it is crucial to establish and enforce standards for wastewater reuse in agricultural fields before irrigation takes place.

Keywords: polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons; treated wastewater irrigation; positive matrix factorization; diagnostic ratios analysis; total organic carbon (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/18/13581/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/18/13581/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:18:p:13581-:d:1237625

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().