Nitric Oxide Emission and Soil Microbial Activities in Toluene Contaminated Soil
Publication: Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 133, Issue 2
Abstract
The purpose of this research is to consider a novel concept for measuring and monitoring (M&M) the presence and levels of contaminants in soil. Current M&M techniques include direct sensing for the target contaminant and the surrogate indicators of respired and . The method suggested here is based on nitric oxide (NO). It is an alternative M&M method that could become quicker, easier, more reliable, and less expensive than the other M&M methods being used currently. NO emission from toluene contaminated soil and soil microbial activity were investigated to understand the NO-toluene-soil microbial relationships using fluorescent in situ hybridization molecular technique combined by enzymatic method. The relationships have been analyzed by the comparison of experimental measurements coming from analysis of variance statistical analysis, referring to toluene concentrations. Relationships between NO emissions and the microbial activity were significantly correlated with the level of toluene concentration and duration of toluene contamination. Thus, NO emissions are suggested as a useful indicator of microbial activity in toluene contaminated soils.
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Acknowledgments
The writers would like to thank Dwina Martin from Duke University for her valuable comments and suggestions during the conduct of this research.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 133 • Issue 2 • February 2007
Pages: 237 - 244
Copyright
© 2007 ASCE.
History
Received: Dec 9, 2005
Accepted: Jul 31, 2006
Published online: Feb 1, 2007
Published in print: Feb 2007
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