Abstract:
The aim of the study was to induce and enhance the degradation of hexachlorobenzene
(HCB), a highly-chlorinated persistent organic pollutant, in two ecologically different tropical
soils: a paddy soil (PS) and a non-paddy soil (FS). The degradation of HCB was enhanced
using two anaerobic–aerobic cycles in model laboratory experiments. There was greater
degradation of HCB in the PS (half-life of 224 days) relative to the FS (half-life of 286 days). It
was further shown that soils amended with compost had higher metabolite concentrations
relative to the non-amended soils. In the first cycle, there was little degradation of HCB in
both soils. However, in the second cycle, there was enhanced mineralization in the PS
under aerobic conditions, with the compost-treated samples showing higher mineralization.
There was also extensive volatilization in both soils. The metabolite pattern revealed that …