Migration of micropollutants in a dredging amended soil in Northern France

International audienceA river dredging sludge containing heavy metals and organic compounds was spread on an unsaturated soil in Northern France, and the evolution of the micro-pollutants was studied for 28 months. Metal concentration were higher after 28 months, whereas there was no accumulation of organic compounds. The metal balance in the soil was good, which was not the case for organic carbon. The unbalance could be explained by an increased mineralization of both the initial and the xenobiotic organic matter, induced by the addition of easily-biodegradable organic carbon into the soil and by humification. Micro-pollutant concentrations in the top layer of soil remained very high which could induce a contamination of plants