Investigation of the contaminant sorption of treated Romanian soils using “batch” and biological toxicity assays

To evaluate the effect of crop residue burning of agriculturally tilled soils, the soilʹs sorption of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) is studied using naphthalene as a representative model contaminant in the soil. from agriculturally tilled fields (Dorobantu farm, Calarasi, Romania), either burned or unburned for clearance, were examined for their toxicity and sorption capacity (fields being burned for cleansing experience an increase in nanoparticles because soot particles enter the soil). The burned and unburned soils were separated into several fractions on the basis of size using membranes with different pore sizes. Batch experiments were conducted to test the impact of the following operating parameters: the initial concentration of naphthalene, initial concentration of soil, pH, soil structure and composition and soil characterization. The toxic effectiveness of the various soils was also investigated.