RT Journal Article
T1 Environmental forensics of compost-assisted bioremediation in complex co-contaminated soils
A1 Peña Álvarez, Verónica
A1 Benavente Hidalgo, Lucía
A1 Rodríguez Valdés, Eduardo
A1 Pelaez Andrés, Ana Isabel
A1 Rodríguez Gallego, José Luis
AB Legacy industrial activities have generated soils co-contaminated with petroleum hydrocarbons, metal(loid)s, and regulated organic pollutants such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). In these complex systems, conventional remediation approaches and concentration-based monitoring often fail to fully capture contaminant transformation processes and residual chemical complexity. Here, pilot-scale field bioremediation was combined with an environmental forensics framework to evaluate contaminant degradation, microbial response, and metal(loid) mobility under realistic field conditions. Six biostimulation strategies were assessed, including plant-derived compost, sludge-based compost, mineral fertilisers, and natural attenuation controls. After 150 days, hydrocarbon removal remained below 30% in control treatments, whereas nutrient-based treatments achieved intermediate efficiencies and compost-amended systems showed the highest performance, reaching up to 58% with plant-derived compost. Compost application was also associated with reductions in TCLP-extractable Zn, Pb, and Cd fractions, consistent with decreased metal mobility. Molecular fingerprinting revealed selective degradation of labile hydrocarbon fractions, while biomarkers, asphaltenes, and heavy waxes persisted after treatment. In parallel, non-target screening identified persistent polar contaminants, including organophosphorus flame retardants and phthalates, which were largely unaffected by remediation. Overall, the results demonstrate that compost-assisted bioremediation can enhance hydrocarbon degradation and reduce metal mobility in complex co-contaminated soils, while integrative environmental forensic approaches provide critical insight into residual contaminant complexity not captured by conventional concentration-based metrics.
PB Elsevier
SN 0304-3894
SN 1873-3336 (electrónico)
YR 2026
FD 2026
LK https://hdl.handle.net/10272/28661
UL https://hdl.handle.net/10272/28661
LA eng
NO Peña-Álvarez, V., Benavente-Hidalgo, L., Rodríguez-Valdés, E., Peláez, A. I., & Gallego, J. L. R. (2026). Environmental forensics of compost-assisted bioremediation in complex co-contaminated soils. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 514, 142657. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2026.142657
NO This work was supported by INTERSOIL project (PID2023-147718NB-I00, AEI/Spain, FEDER/EU) and SEKUENS funding (SEK-25-GRU-GIC-24-043, Asturias, Spain). We gratefully acknowledge the support of Rymoil S.A., which supplied samples, civil works and partial funding. We would like also to thank the Environmental Assay Unit of the Scientific and Technical Services of the University of Oviedo for technical support.
DS Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Huelva
RD 13 jul 2026