Predictions of Biotreatability and Actual Results: Soils with Petroleum Hydrocarbons
Publication: Practice Periodical of Hazardous, Toxic, and Radioactive Waste Management
Volume 5, Issue 2
Abstract
The hypothesis evaluated was that the extent to which a contaminated soil undergoes weathering prior to treatment affects the degree of chemical loss that occurs during bioremediation. The hypothesis was evaluated using soils from field sites. Nine soils from petroleum and related industry sites were obtained and characterized for chemical composition. The chemical characterization data were used to identify the extent of prior weathering of hydrocarbons in the soils. Based on such a weathering evaluation, the potential for further chemical loss in a bioremediation process was predicted. Those predictions were then compared with the results of biotreatability studies. Shake flask and solid-phase biotreatability studies were conducted on the soils to determine the rate and extent of hydrocarbon loss in the soils due to bioremediation. The predictions of biodegradation potential agreed well with the actual biotreatability results for seven of the nine soils used in the evaluation. These included both soils (A, E, and I) in which there was significant chemical loss during the biotreatability studies and soils (B, C, F, and J) that did not experience significant chemical loss during the biotreatability studies. Soil K had a moderate decrease in chemical concentrations during bioremediation, whereas no decrease was predicted. The results from this study indicated that it is possible to make screening level judgments about the hydrocarbon loss that may occur due to bioremediation based on simple hydrocarbon characterization information. The results also indicated that hydrocarbon composition and weathering should be considered before initiating bioremediation projects.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
References
1.
Beck, A. J., Wilson, S. C., Alcock, R. E., and Jones, K. C. ( 1995). “Kinetic constraints on the loss of organic chemicals from contaminated soils: implications for soil-quality limits.” Crit. Reviews in Envir. Sci. and Technol., 25, 1–43.
2.
Berg, M. S., Loehr, R. C., and Webster, M. T. ( 1998). “Release of chemicals from bioremediated soils.” J. Soil Contamination, 7, 675–695.
3.
Bossert, I., and Bartha, R. ( 1986). “Structure biodegradability relationship of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in soil.” Bull. Envir. Contaminant Toxicology, 37, 490–495.
4.
Dexsil Corporation. ( 1996). PetroFLAG users guide, Hamden, Conn.
5.
Elmendorf, D. L., Haith, C. E., Douglas, G. S., and Prince, R. C. ( 1994). “Relative rates of biodegradation of substituted polyaromatic hydrocarbons.” Bioremediation of chlorinated and PAH compounds, R. E. Hinchee, A. Leeson, L. Semprini, and S. K. Ong, eds., CRC Press, Boca Raton, Fla., 188–202.
6.
Ensys, Inc. ( 1996). Crude Check Soil Test System—Rapid soil screen users guide, Triangle Park, N.C.
7.
Fedorak, P M., and Westlake, D. W. S. ( 1984). “Degradation of sulfur heterocycles in Prudhoe Bay crude oil by soil enrichments.” Water, Air, and Soil Pollution, 21, 225–230.
8.
Groundwater Analytical, Inc. ( 1992). “EPA Method 418.1 total recoverable petroleum hydrocarbons by IR.” Groundwater Analytical Tech. Bull., Buzzards Bay, Mass.
9.
Huesemann, M. H. ( 1995). “A predictive model for estimating the extent of petroleum hydrocarbon biodegradation in contaminated soils.” Envir. Sci. and Technol., 29, 7–18.
10.
Huesemann, M. H. ( 1997). “Incomplete hydrocarbon biodegradation in contaminated soils: limitations in bioavailability or inherent recalcitrance?” Bioremediation J., 1, 27–39.
11.
Huesemann, M. H., and Moore, K. O. ( 1993). “Compositional changes during landfarming of weathered Michigan crude oil–contaminated soil.” J. Soil Contamination, 2, 245–264.
12.
Jobson, A., Cook, F. D., and Westlake, D. W. S. ( 1972). “Microbial utilization of crude oil.” Appl. Microbiology, 23, 1082–1089.
13.
Loehr, R. C., and Webster, M. T. ( 1996a). “Performance of long-term, field-scale bioremediation processes.” J. Haz. Mat., 50, 105–128.
14.
Loehr, R. C., and Webster, M. T. ( 1996b). “Behavior of fresh vs. aged chemicals in soil.” J. Soil Contamination, 5, 361–383.
15.
Loehr, R. C., and Webster, M. T. ( 1997). “Changes in toxicity and mobility resulting from bioremediation processes.” Bioremediation J., 1, 149–163.
16.
McMillen, S. J., Gray, N. R., Kerr, J. M., Requejo, A. G., McDonald, T. J., and Douglas, G. S. ( 1995a). “Assessing bioremediation of crude oil in soils and sludges.” Monitoring and verification of bioremediation, R. E. Hinchee, G. S. Douglas, and S. K. Ong, eds., Battelle Press, Columbus, Ohio, 1–9.
17.
McMillen, S. J., Requejo, A. G., Young, G. N., Davis, P. S., Cook, P. D., Kerr, J. M., and Gray, N. R. ( 1995b). “Bioremediation potential of crude oil spilled on soil.” Microbial processes for bioremediation, R. E. Hinchee, F. J. Brockman, and C. M. Vogel, eds., Battelle, Columbus, Ohio, 91–99.
18.
Moldowan, J. M., et al. ( 1992). “Source correlation and maturity assessment of select oils and rocks from the Central Adriatic Basin (Italy and Yugoslavia).” Biological markers in sediments and petroleum, J. M. Moldowan, P. Albrecht, and R. P. Philp, eds., Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, N.J., 370–401.
19.
Olivera, F. L., Loehr, R. C., Coplin, B. C., Eby, H., and Webster, M. T. ( 1998). “Prepared bed land treatment of soils containing diesel and crude oil hydrocarbons.” J. Soil Contamination, 7, 657–674.
20.
Oudot, J. ( 1984). “Rates of microbial degradation of petroleum components as determined by computerized capillary gas chromatography and computerized mass spectrometry.” Envir. Res., 13, 277–302.
21.
Salanitro, J. P., et al. ( 1997). “Crude oil hydrocarbon bioremediation and soil ecotoxicity assessment.” Envir. Sci. and Technol., 31, 1769–1776.
22.
Song, H., Wang, X., and Bartha, R. ( 1990). “Bioremediation potential of terrestrial fuel spills.” Appl. Envir. Microbiology, 56, 652–656.
23.
ThermoRetec Consulting Corp. ( 2000). “Environmentally acceptable endpoints for hydrocarbon-contaminated soils.” Final Project Rep. Prepared for Gas Research Institute and Petroleum Environmental Research Forum (Project 94-06), Monroeville, Pa.
24.
Total Petroleum Hydrocarbon Working Group (TPHCWG). ( 1998). Analysis of petroleum hydrocarbon in environmental media, W. Weisman, ed., Amherst Scientific, Amherst, Mass.
25.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA). ( 1986). Test methods for evaluating solid waste, 3rd Ed., Vol. 1–4, Nat. Tech. Information Service, Springfield, Va.
26.
Westlake, D. W. S., Belicek, W., Jobson, A., and Cook, F. D. ( 1976). “Microbial utilization of raw and hydrogenated shale oils.” Can. J. Microbiology, Ottawa, 22, 221–227.
27.
White, J. C., Kelsey, J. W., Hatzinger, P. B., and Alexander, M. ( 1997). “Factors affecting sequestration and bioavailability of phenanthrene in soils.” Envir. Toxicology and Chem., 16, 2040–2045.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Practice Periodical of Hazardous, Toxic, and Radioactive Waste Management
Volume 5 • Issue 2 • April 2001
Pages: 78 - 87
History
Received: Dec 20, 2000
Published online: Apr 1, 2001
Published in print: Apr 2001
Authors
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.