In situ long-term modeling of phenanthrene dynamics in an aged contaminated soil using the VSOIL platform

Highlights: • Phenanthrene fate in an industrial soil was simulated in situ under real conditions. • Long term biodegradation of phenanthrene followed two degradation phases. • Prospective climate change effect was investigated. • Increasing phenanthrene availability significantly enhanced natural dissipation. Management and remediation actions of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) contaminated sites require an accurate knowledge of the dynamics of these chemicals in situ under real conditions. Here we developed, under the Virtual Soil Platform, a global model for PAH that describes the principal physical and biological processes controlling the dynamics of PAH in soil under real climatic conditions. The model was applied first to simulate the observed dynamics of phenanthrene in situ field experimental plots of industrial contaminated soil. In a second step, different long-term scenarios of climate change or bioavailability increase were applied. Our results show that the model can adequately predict the fate of phenanthrene and can contribute to clarify some of unexplored aspects regarding the behavior of phenanthrene in soil like its degradation mechanism and stabilization. Tested prospective scenarios showed that bioavailability increase (through the addition of solvent or surfactants) resulted in significant increase in substrate transfer rate, hence reducing remediation time. Regarding climate change effect, the model indicated that phenanthrene concentration decreased by 54% during 40 years with a natural attenuation and both scenarios chosen for climatic boundaries provided very similar results.