Enhanced Bioremediation of Fuel-Oil Contaminated Soils: Laboratory Feasibility Study
Publication: Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 135, Issue 9
Abstract
In this study, microcosm experiments were conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of (1) nutrients, hydrogen peroxide , and cane molasses addition; (2) soil washing by biodegradable surfactant [Simple Green (SG)]; and (3) soil pretreatment by Fenton-like oxidation on the bioremediation of fuel-oil contaminated soils. The dominant native microorganisms in the fuel-oil contaminated soils after each treatment process were determined via polymerase chain reaction, denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis, and nucleotide sequence analysis. Results show that approximately 32 and 56% of total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) removal (initial concentration of ) were observed in microcosms with the addition of nutrient and cane molasses , respectively, compared to only 9% of TPH removal in live control microcosms under intrinsic conditions (without amendment) after 120 days of incubation. Addition of cane molasses would cause the increase in microbial population and thus enhance the TPH degradation rate. Results also show that approximately 61% of TPH removal was observed in microcosms with the addition of and nutrient after 120 days of incubation. This indicates that the addition of low concentration of would cause the desorption of TPH from soil particles and increase the dissolved oxygen and subsequent bioremediation efficiency in microcosms. Approximately 95 and 69% of TPH removal were observed in microcosms with SG and higher dose of addition, respectively. Moreover, significant increases in microbial populations were observed and two TPH biodegraders (Pseudomonas sp. and Shewanella sp.) might exist in microcosms with SG or addition. This indicates that the commonly used soil remedial techniques, biodegradable surfactant flushing, and Fenton-like oxidation would improve the TPH removal efficiency and would not cause adverse effects on the following bioremediation process.
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Acknowledgments
This project was funded in part by National Science Council of Taiwan. Additional thanks to the personnel of Guan Cheng Environment Technology Protection Co., Ltd., Taiwan for the assistance and support throughout this project. The views or opinions expressed in this article are those of the writers and should not be construed as opinions of the U.S. EPA.NSCT
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Published In
Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 135 • Issue 9 • September 2009
Pages: 845 - 853
Copyright
© 2009 ASCE.
History
Received: Jun 23, 2008
Accepted: Jan 20, 2009
Published online: Apr 3, 2009
Published in print: Sep 2009
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