Long-term effects of crude oil contamination and bioremediation in a soil ecosystem
- Univ. of Tulsa, OK (United States); and others
Analysis of samples taken from three experimental soil lysimeters demonstrate marked effects on the soil chemistry and on bacterial, fungal, nematode, and plant communities three years after the application of crude oil. The lysimeters are located at the Amoco Production Research Environmental Test Facility in Rogers County, OK, and were originally used to evaluate the effectiveness of managed (application of fertilizer and water, one lysimeter) vs. unmanaged bioremediation (one lysimeter) of Michigan Silurian crude oil compared to one uncontaminated control lysimeter. Five, two-foot-long soil cores were extracted from each lysimeter, each divided into three sections, and the like sections mixed together to form composited soil samples. All subsequent chemical and microbiological analyses were performed on these nine composited samples. Substantial variation was found among the lysimeters for certain soil chemical characteristics [% moisture, pH, total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN), ammonia nitrogen (NH{sub 4}-N), phosphate phosphorous (PO{sub 4}-P), and sulfate (SO{sub 4}{sup -2})]. The managed lysimeter had 10% the level of total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH-IR) as did the unmanaged lysimeter. Assessment of the microbial community was performed for heterotropic: bacteria, fungi, and aromatic hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria by dilution onto solid media. Hydrocarbon degrading bacteria were elevated in both oil-contaminated lysimeters. Nematodes were extracted from soil samples, identified to genus, and classified according to their mode of nutrition. All vegetation and roots were removed from each lysimeter after the soil samples were taken, representative plants were pressed for identification, and the dry weight of all plants (total biomass) for each lysimeter was determined. The plant species were predominantly those found in disturbed habitats.
- Research Organization:
- US Department of Energy (USDOE), Washington DC (United States); Amoco Production Co., Houston, TX (United States); Conoco, Inc., Stamford, CT (United States)
- OSTI ID:
- 377193
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-9509296-; ON: DE96001221; TRN: 96:004054-0028
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 2. international petroleum environmental conference: environmental issues and solutions in petroleum exploration, production, and refining, New Orleans, LA (United States), 25-27 Sep 1995; Other Information: PBD: 1995; Related Information: Is Part Of Environmental issues and solutions in petroleum exploration, production and refining; Sublette, K.L. [ed.]; PB: 1078 p.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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