Effect of Basic Oxygen Furnace Slag-Infiltrated Water on Methane Oxidation and Community Composition in Biogeochemical Landfill Cover System
Publication: Journal of Hazardous, Toxic, and Radioactive Waste
Volume 24, Issue 2
Abstract
A sustainable biogeochemical cover system consisting of a biochar-amended soil layer overlain by a basic oxygen furnace (BOF) slag layer is being developed to mitigate fugitive emissions of methane () and carbon dioxide () at municipal solid waste (MSW) landfills. The effectiveness of such a cover system is highly dependent on the survival and activity of methanotrophs in the soil under highly alkaline conditions induced by the presence of slag. In this paper, laboratory microcosm tests were conducted to investigate the effect of BOF slag-infiltrated water on oxidation in soil and enrichment culture. The effects of BOF slag-infiltrated water at different proportions in soil (0%, 5%, 20%, 60%, and 100%) and in enrichment culture (0%, 11%, 25%, and 100%) were studied. oxidation rates in the soil were 113, 116, 115, 108, and at 0%, 5%, 20%, 60%, and 100% slag-infiltrated water content, respectively. In enrichment culture, the oxidation rates were 36, 27, 20, and at 0%, 11%, 25%, and 100% slag-infiltrated water content, respectively. The results showed a significant decrease in oxidation rates with an increase in slag-infiltrated water content () in enrichment culture and a marginal decrease in soil microcosm. Furthermore, no substantial change in microbial community composition was noted in soil microcosms across all of the slag-infiltrated water content, and they were generally dominated by the Methylobacter luteus species. However, the enrichment culture, which was dominated by Methylobacter at 0% slag-infiltrated water content, showed a decrease in the abundance of Methylobacter and an increase in the abundance of Methylosinus, with an increase in the slag-infiltrated water content.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Data Availability Statement
All data generated during the study appear in this article.
Acknowledgments
This research is part of a comprehensive project titled, “Innovative Biochar-Slag-Soil Cover System for Zero Emissions at Landfills,” funded by the National Science Foundation (CMMI# 1724773), which is gratefully acknowledged.
References
Amaral, J. A., and R. Knowles. 1995. “Growth of methanotrophs in methane and oxygen counter gradients.” FEMS Microbiol. Lett. 126 (3): 215–220. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1574-6968.1995.tb07421.x.
Baesman, S., L. Miller, J. Wei, Y. Cho, E. Matys, R. Summons, and R. Oremland. 2015. “Methane oxidation and molecular characterization of methanotrophs from a former mercury mine impoundment.” Microorganisms 3 (2): 290–309. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms3020290.
Bonenfant, D., L. Kharoune, S. Sauve, R. Hausler, P. Niquette, M. Mimeault, and M. Kharoune. 2008. “CO2 sequestration potential of steel slags at ambient pressure and temperature.” Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 47 (20): 7610–7616. https://doi.org/10.1021/ie701721j.
Bowman, J. P., L. I. Sly, and A. C. Hayward. 1990. “Patterns of tolerance to heavy metals among methane-utilizing bacteria.” Lett. Appl. Microbiol. 10 (2): 85–87. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1472-765X.1990.tb00271.x.
Bowman, J. P., L. I. Sly, P. D. Nichols, and A. C. Hayward. 1993. “Revised taxonomy of the methanotrophs: Description of Methylobacter gen. nov., emendation of Methylococcus, validation of Methylosinus and Methylocystis species, and a proposal that the family Methylococcaceae includes only the group I methanotrophs.” Int. J. Syst. Evol. Microbiol. 43 (4): 735–753. https://doi.org/10.1099/00207713-44-2-375.
Chand, S., B. Paul, and M. Kumar. 2017. “Short-term leaching study of heavy metals from LD slag of important steel industries in Eastern India.” J. Mater. Cycles Waste Manage. 19 (2): 851–862. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10163-016-0486-z.
Chang, E. E., A. C. Chiu, S. Y. Pan, Y. H. Chen, C. S. Tan, and P. C. Chiang. 2013. “Carbonation of basic oxygen furnace slag with metalworking wastewater in a slurry reactor.” Int. J. Greenhouse Gas Control 12 (Jan): 382–389. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijggc.2012.11.026.
Chaurand, P., J. Rose, V. Briois, L. Olivi, J. L. Hazemann, O. Proux, and J. Y. Bottero. 2007. “Environmental impacts of steel slag reused in road construction: A crystallographic and molecular (XANES) approach.” J. Hazard. Mater. 139 (3): 537–542. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2006.02.060.
Chen, Y., M. G. Dumont, A. Cébron, and J. C. Murrell. 2007. “Identification of active methanotrophs in a landfill cover soil through detection of expression of 16S rRNA and functional genes.” Environ. Microbiol. 9 (11): 2855–2869. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1462-2920.2007.01401.x.
Chi, Z. F., W. J. Lu, and H. T. Wang. 2015. “Spatial patterns of methane oxidation and methanotrophic diversity in landfill cover soils of Southern China.” J. Microbiol. Biotechnol. 25 (4): 423–430. https://doi.org/10.4014/jmb.1408.08055.
Clarke, K. R., and R. N. Gorley. 2015. Getting started with PRIMER v7: PRIMER-E. Plymouth, UK: Plymouth Marine Laboratory.
Contin, M., D. Goi, and M. De Nobili. 2012. “Land application of aerobic sewage sludge does not impair methane oxidation rates of soils.” Sci. Total Environ. 441 (Nov): 10–18. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2012.09.052.
De Windt, L., P. Chaurand, and J. Rose. 2011. “Kinetics of steel slag leaching: Batch tests and modeling.” Waste Manage. 31 (2): 225–235. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2010.05.018.
Effler, S. W., and D. A. Matthews. 2003. “Impacts of a soda ash facility on Onondaga Lake and the Seneca River, NY.” Lake Reservoir Manage. 19 (4): 285e306. https://doi.org/10.1080/07438140309353940.
Hanson, R. S., and T. E. Hanson. 1996. “Methanotrophic bacteria.” Microbiol. Molecular. Biology. Rev. 60 (2): 439–471.
Henckel, T., P. Roslev, and R. Conrad. 2000. “Effects of and on presence and activity of the indigenous methanotrophic community in rice field soil.” Environ. Microbiol. 2 (6): 666–679. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1462-2920.2000.00149.x.
Huijgen, W. J., G. J. Witkamp, and R. N. Comans. 2005. “Mineral sequestration by steel slag carbonation.” Environ. Sci. Technol. 39 (24): 9676–9682. https://doi.org/10.1021/es050795f.
Kalyuzhnaya, M. G., V. Khmelenina, B. Eshinimaev, D. Sorokin, H. Fuse, M. Lidstrom, and Y. Trotsenko. 2008. “Classification of halo (alkali) philic and halo (alkali) tolerant methanotrophs provisionally assigned to the genera Methylomicrobium and Methylobacter and emended description of the genus Methylomicrobium.” Int. J. Syst. Evol. Microbiol. 58 (3): 591–596. https://doi.org/10.1099/ijs.0.65317-0.
Khmelenina, V. N., M. G. Kalyuzhnaya, N. G. Starostina, N. E. Suzina, and Y. A. Trotsenko. 1997. “Isolation and characterization of halotolerant alkaliphilic methanotrophic bacteria from Tuva soda lakes.” Curr. Microbiol. 35 (5): 257–261. https://doi.org/10.1007/s002849900249.
Ko, M. S., Y. L. Chen, and J. H. Jiang. 2015. “Accelerated carbonation of basic oxygen furnace slag and the effects on its mechanical properties.” Constr. Build. Mater. 98 (Nov): 286–293. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2015.08.051.
Minot, S. S., N. Krumm, and N. B. Greenfield. 2015. “One codex: A sensitive and accurate data platform for genomic microbial identification.” BioRxiv 027607. https://doi.org/10.1101/027607.
Mohanty, S. R., K. Bharati, N. Deepa, V. R. Rao, and T. K. Adhya. 2000. “Influence of heavy metals on methane oxidation in tropical rice soils.” Ecotoxicol. Environ. Saf. 47 (3): 277–284. https://doi.org/10.1006/eesa.2000.1963.
Motz, H., and J. Geiseler. 2001. “Products of steel slags an opportunity to save natural resources.” Waste Manage. (Oxford) 21 (3): 285–293. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0956-053X(00)00102-1.
Park, J. R., S. Moon, Y. M. Ahn, J. Y. Kim, and K. Nam. 2005. “Determination of environmental factors influencing methane oxidation in a sandy landfill cover soil.” Environ. Technol. 26 (1): 93–102. https://doi.org/10.1080/09593332608618586.
Proctor, D. M., K. A. Fehling, E. C. Shay, J. L. Wittenborn, J. J. Green, C. Avent, and M. A. Zak. 2000. “Physical and chemical characteristics of blast furnace, basic oxygen furnace, and electric arc furnace steel industry slags.” Environ. Sci. Technol. 34 (8): 1576–1582. https://doi.org/10.1021/es9906002.
Rai, R. K., J. K. Chetri, S. J. Green, and K. R. Reddy. 2018. “Identifying active methanotrophs and mitigation of emissions in landfill cover soil.” In Proc., Int. Congress on Environmental Geotechnics, 308–316. Singapore: Springer.
Rai, R. K., and K. R. Reddy. 2019. “Methanotrophic methane oxidation in new biogeochemical landfill cover system.” In Proc., 34th Int. Conf. on Solid Waste Technology and Management. Chester, PA: Widener Univ.
Reddy, K. R., J. K. Chetri, G. Kumar, and D. G. Grubb. 2019a. “Effect of basic oxygen furnace slag type on carbon dioxide sequestration from landfill gas emissions.” Waste Manage. 85 (Feb): 425–436. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2019.01.013.
Reddy, K. R., A. Gopakumar, and J. K. Chetri. 2019b. “Critical review of applications of iron and steel slags for carbon sequestration and environmental remediation.” Rev. Environ. Sci. Bio/Technol. 18 (1): 127–152. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11157-018-09490-w.
Reddy, K. R., A. Gopakumar, J. K. Chetri, G. Kumar, and D. G. Grubb. 2019c. “Sequestration of landfill gas emissions using basic oxygen furnace slag: Effects of moisture content and humid gas flow conditions.” J. Environ. Eng. 145 (7): 04019033. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)EE.1943-7870.0001539.
Reddy, K. R., A. Gopakumar, R. K. Rai, G. Kumar, J. K. Chetri, and D. G. Grubb. 2019d. “Effect of basic oxygen furnace slag particle size on sequestration of carbon dioxide from landfill gas.” Waste Manage. Res. 37 (5): 469–477. https://doi.org/10.1177/0734242X18823948.
Reddy, K. R., D. G. Grubb, and G. Kumar. 2018. “Innovative biogeochemical soil cover to mitigate landfill gas emissions.” In Proc., Int. Conf. on Protection and Restoration of the Environment XIV. Thessaloniki, Greece: Aristotle Univ. of Thessaloniki.
Reddy, K. R., E. N. Yargicoglu, D. Yue, and D. Yaghoubi. 2014. “Enhanced microbial methane oxidation in landfill cover soil amended with biochar.” J. Geotech. Geoenviron. 140 (9): 04014047. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)GT.1943-5606.0001148.
Roadcap, G. S., R. A. Sanford, Q. Jin, J. R. Pardinas, and C. M. Bethke. 2006. “Extremely alkaline () ground water hosts diverse microbial community.” Ground Water 44 (4): 511–517. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-6584.2006.00199.x.
Saha, N., Z. Y. Kharbuli, A. Bhattacharjee, C. Goswami, and D. Heaussinger. 2002. “Effect of alkalinity (pH 10) on ureogenesis in the air-breathing walking catfish, Clarias batrachus.” Comp. Biochem. Physiol. Part A 132 (2): 353–364. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1095-6433(02)00044-2.
Scheutz, C., and P. Kjeldsen. 2004. “Environmental factors influencing attenuation of methane and hydrochlorofluorocarbons in landfill cover soils.” J. Environ. Qual. 33 (1): 72–79. https://doi.org/10.2134/jeq2004.7200.
Semrau, J. D., A. A. DiSpirito, and S. Yoon. 2010. “Methanotrophs and copper.” FEMS Microbiol. Rev. 34 (4): 496–531. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1574-6976.2010.00212.x.
Walkiewicz, A., P. Bulak, M. Brzezińska, E. Wnuk, and A. Bieganowski. 2016. “Methane oxidation in heavy metal contaminated mollic gleysol under oxic and hypoxic conditions.” Environ. Pollut. 213 (Jun): 403–411. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2016.02.048.
Whalen, S. C., W. S. Reeburgh, and K. A. Sandbeck. 1990. “Rapid methane oxidation in a landfill cover soil.” Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 56 (11): 3405–3411.
Wnuk, E., A. Walkiewicz, and A. Bieganowski. 2017. “Methane oxidation in lead-contaminated mineral soils under different moisture levels.” Environ. Sci. Pollut. Res. 24 (32): 25346–25354. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-017-0195-8.
Yargicoglu, E. N., and K. R. Reddy. 2017a. “Microbial abundance and activity in biochar-amended landfill cover soils: Evidence from large-scale column and field experiments.” J. Environ. Eng. 143 (9): 04017058. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)EE.1943-7870.0001254.
Yargicoglu, E. N., and K. R. Reddy. 2017b. “Biochar-amended soil cover for microbial methane oxidation: Effect of biochar amendment ratio and cover profile.” J. Geotech. Geoenviron. Eng. 144 (3): 04017123. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)GT.1943-5606.0001845.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Copyright
©2020 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jul 2, 2019
Accepted: Sep 18, 2019
Published online: Jan 2, 2020
Published in print: Apr 1, 2020
Discussion open until: Jun 2, 2020
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.