TECHNICAL PAPERS
Mar 1, 2000

Pyrolysis-GC/FID Test for Biogenic Interference in Contaminated Soil

Publication: Journal of Cold Regions Engineering
Volume 14, Issue 1

Abstract

“Biogenic interference” is that portion of natural organic matter in soil that cannot be distinguished from petroleum in a standard test for contamination. Biogenic interference is normally a small fraction of total natural organic matter. In organic soils, however, biogenic interference alone can exceed “petroleum” limits set by regulatory agencies. A test using a pyrolysis-gas chromatograph/flame ionization detector (GC/FID) was developed to quantify biogenic interference in soil samples from northern Alaska. The samples had no known history of contamination, so all measured “petroleum” was derived from biogenic interference. The pyrolysis test was found to predict biogenic interference in soil samples more accurately than any combination of standard soil tests, including C:N ratio, pH, percent organic carbon, extractable carbon, humic acids, fulvic acids, low molecular weight acids, hydrophobic neutrals, and hydrophilic neutrals. Analysis of samples contaminated in the laboratory confirmed that the pyrolysis test could quantify biogenic interference in soils recently contaminated by petroleum.

Get full access to this article

View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.

References

1.
ADEC underground storage tank procedures manual: Guidance for remediation of petroleum-contaminated soil and water and standard sampling procedures. (1999). Appendices E and F, Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, Juneau, Alaska.
2.
Bracewell, J. M., Haider, K., Larter, S., and Schulten, H.-R. ( 1989). “Thermal degradation relevant to structural studies of humic substances.” Humic substances II, M. H. B. Hayes, P. MacCarthy, R. L. Malcolm, and R. S. Swift, eds., Wiley, New York, 181–222.
3.
Garland, D. S., White, D. M., and Woolard, C. R. (1999). “Contaminant analysis in tundra by pyrolysis-GC/FID.” Cold Regions Engrg.: Putting Res. into Pract., Proc., 10th Int. Conf., J. E. Zufelt, ed., ASCE, Reston, Va., 352–362.
4.
Michaelson, G. J., Ping, C. L., and Kimble, J. M. (1996). “Carbon storage and distribution in tundra soils of arctic Alaska, U.S.A.” Arctic and Alpine Res., 28(4), 414–424.
5.
Ping, C. L., Michaelson, G. J., Dai, X. Y., and Candler, R. J. ( 2000). “Characterization of soil organic matter.” Methods of assessment of soil carbon, J. Kimble, R. Lal, H. Gswaran, and R. Follett, eds., CRC Press, Boca Raton, Fla. (in press).
6.
Ping, C. L., Michaelson, G. J., Loya, W. M., Chandler, R. J., and Malcolm, R. L. ( 1997). “Characteristics of soil organic matter in arctic ecosystems of Alaska.” Soil processes and the carbon cycle, R. Lal, J. M. Kimble, R. F. Follett, and B. A. Stewart, eds., CRC Press, Boca Raton, Fla., 157–167.
7.
Schulten, H.-R., and Schnitzer, M. (1992). “Structural studies on soil humic acids by Curie point pyrolysis-gas chromotography/mass spectrometry.” Soil Sci., 153(3), 205–224.
8.
Walker, D. A., et al., “Energy and trace-gas fluxes across a soil pH boundary in the arctic.” Nature, 394, 469–472.
9.
White, D. M., and Irvine, R. L. ( 1998). “Analysis of bioremediation in organic soils.” Bioremediation: Principles and practice, Vol. 1, Fundamentals and applications, S. K. Sikdar and R. L. Irvine, eds., Technomic Publishing Co., Lancaster, Pa., 185–221.
10.
White, D. M., and Irvine, R. L. (1996). “The bituminous material in Arctic peat: Implications for analyses of petroleum contamination.” J. Haz. Mat., 49, 181–196.
11.
White, D. M., Luong, H., and Irvine, R. L. (1998). “Pyrolysis-GC/MS analysis of contaminated soils in Alaska.”J. Cold Reg. Engrg., ASCE, 12(1), 1–10.
12.
Woolard, C. R., White, D. M., Walworth, J. L., and Hannah, M. E. (1999a). “Biogenic interference with petroleum analysis in organic soils from Alaska.” In Situ Bioremediation of Petroleum Hydrocarbons and Other Organic Compounds, Proc., 5th Int. In-Situ and On-Site Bioremediation Symp., B. Alleman and A. Leeson, eds., 5(3), Battelle Press, Columbus, Ohio, 523–527.
13.
Woolard, C. R., White, D. M., Walworth, J. L., and Hannah, M. E. (1999b). “The magnitude and variability of biogenic interference in cold regions soils.”J. Cold Reg. Engrg., ASCE, 13(3), 113–121.

Information & Authors

Information

Published In

Go to Journal of Cold Regions Engineering
Journal of Cold Regions Engineering
Volume 14Issue 1March 2000
Pages: 1 - 12

History

Received: Jun 21, 1999
Published online: Mar 1, 2000
Published in print: Mar 2000

Permissions

Request permissions for this article.

Authors

Affiliations

Student Member, ASCE
Associate Members, ASCE
Grad. Res. Asst., Water and Environmental Research Center, Univ. of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK 99775-5860. E-mail: [email protected]
Asst. Prof., Dept. of Civ. and Envir. Engrg., 248 Duckering, Univ. of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK 99775-5900; corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected]
Assoc. Prof., Civ. and Envir. Engrg., Univ. of Alaska Anchorage, School of Engrg., 3211 Providence Dr., Anchorage, AK 99508. E-mail: [email protected]

Metrics & Citations

Metrics

Citations

Download citation

If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.

Cited by

View Options

Get Access

Access content

Please select your options to get access

Log in/Register Log in via your institution (Shibboleth)
ASCE Members: Please log in to see member pricing

Purchase

Save for later Information on ASCE Library Cards
ASCE Library Cards let you download journal articles, proceedings papers, and available book chapters across the entire ASCE Library platform. ASCE Library Cards remain active for 24 months or until all downloads are used. Note: This content will be debited as one download at time of checkout.

Terms of Use: ASCE Library Cards are for individual, personal use only. Reselling, republishing, or forwarding the materials to libraries or reading rooms is prohibited.
ASCE Library Card (5 downloads)
$105.00
Add to cart
ASCE Library Card (20 downloads)
$280.00
Add to cart
Buy Single Article
$35.00
Add to cart

Get Access

Access content

Please select your options to get access

Log in/Register Log in via your institution (Shibboleth)
ASCE Members: Please log in to see member pricing

Purchase

Save for later Information on ASCE Library Cards
ASCE Library Cards let you download journal articles, proceedings papers, and available book chapters across the entire ASCE Library platform. ASCE Library Cards remain active for 24 months or until all downloads are used. Note: This content will be debited as one download at time of checkout.

Terms of Use: ASCE Library Cards are for individual, personal use only. Reselling, republishing, or forwarding the materials to libraries or reading rooms is prohibited.
ASCE Library Card (5 downloads)
$105.00
Add to cart
ASCE Library Card (20 downloads)
$280.00
Add to cart
Buy Single Article
$35.00
Add to cart

Media

Figures

Other

Tables

Share

Share

Copy the content Link

Share with email

Email a colleague

Share