Influence and interactions of multi-factors on the bioavailability of PAHs in compost amended contaminated soils

- Conjoint analysis the relative importance of multi-factors on PAH bioavailability.
- Soil type and contact time contributed to >90% of the PAH bioavailability changes.
- Effects of the type and ratio of compost on PAH bioavailability were insignificant.
- Compost amendment can enhance the removal of recalcitrant hydrocarbons.
- Hydrocarbon bioavailability assessment should consider multi-factor interactions.

Compost amendment to contaminated soils is a potential approach for waste recycling and soil remediation. The relative importance and interactions of multiple factors on PAH bioavailability in soils were investigated using conjoint analysis and five-way analysis of variance. Results indicated that soil type and contact time were the two most significant factors influencing the PAH bioavailability in amended soils. The other two factors (compost type and ratio of compost addition) were less important but their interactions with other factors were significant. Specifically the 4-factor interactions showed that compost addition stimulated the degradation of high molecular PAHs at the initial stage (3 month) by enhancing the competitive sorption within PAH groups. Such findings suggest that a realistic decision-making towards hydrocarbon bioavailability assessment should consider interactions among various factors. Further to this, this study demonstrated that compost amendment can enhance the removal of recalcitrant hydrocarbons such as PAHs in contaminated soils.