OCURRENCE AND FATE OF BDE 209, DP AND PFOS IN LEACHATE AND RUNOFF WATERS COMING FROM BIOSOLID AMENDED SOILS

Abstract

In 2010, Spain was situated in the ninth position in waste material production among the European Union

Member States (535 Kg/inhabitant, above the European average: 502 Kg/inhabitant)1,2.This waste material can

be deposited in landfill (58 %), recycled (15 %), incinerated (9 %) or managed as compost (18 %)3 for

agricultural purposes. Similarly, there are several sewage sludge management options, but spreading it on land

has been increased considerably, reaching 70 %, from 2005 to 20104

.

Considering the fertilizing characteristics and the potential as organic amendment of sewage sludge and

municipal solid waste (MSW) compost, the application of biosolids in agricultural soils is recommended.

However, these biosolids could also contain harmful pollutants. The presence of several contaminants as heavy

metals, pathogenic microorganisms or some organic compounds in sludge and composts for use on land has been

regulated5

, but there are some emerging pollutants recently detected in this kind of biosolids6-8, whose presence

and fate after amendment require to be characterized.

Besides, water is presently considered one of the main pathways for propagation of some emerging compounds.

Natural precipitation such as rain may wash water-soluble compounds out of soil or sludge or may carry

suspended particulate matter from soil. Therefore, pollutants that are transported rapidly by water passing

through the soil may reach the groundwater and surface water and find their way into water system, contributing

to wildlife and human exposure.

This work aims to evaluate the transfer of emerging organic pollutants such as: decabromodiphenyl ether (BDE

209), dechlorane plus (DP) and perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS), after application of sewage sludge and

municipal solid waste (MSW) compost as amendments in agricultural soils. To achieve this objective, a semifield study was conducted to evaluate the behaviour of these pollutants, their transfer capability and

subsequently, their fate from biosolid amended agricultural soils to groundwater (leachate) and surface water

(runoff) generated during rainfall events.