Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) occurrence and remediation methods

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are potentially mutagenic and carcinogenic substances occurring at various concentrations in the atmosphere, soil, water and sediment. PAHs, inherited both from natural and anthropogenic processes, are persistent organic pollutants (POP) due to their chemical stability and biodegradation resistance. The increase of road transportation, and of industrial and agricultural activities has led to a notable build up of PAHs in the environmental media. For cases of heavy soil pollution, the main remediation methods are containment, thermal desorption, incineration and microbial degradation. Phytoremediation, a low-cost process based on microbial activation in the root zone, is a novel method under deep investigation.