Degradation of jet fuel hydrocarbons by aquatic microbial communities. Interim report 23 October 1981-30 September 1983

Technical Report · Tue Nov 01 00:00:00 EST 1983

OSTI ID:6485366

Spain, J C; Somerville, C C; Butler, L C; Lee, T J; Bourquin, A W

A model fuel mixture of fifteen hydrocarbons representative of those in distillate jet fuels was used to determine whether degradation by natural microbial communities could affect the persistence of such fuels released into aquatic environments. The mixture included hexane, cyclohexane, n-heptane, methylcyclohexane, toluene, n-octane, ethylcyclohexane, p-xylene, cumene, 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene, indan, naphthalene, 2-methylnaphthalene, n-tetradecane, and 2,3-dimethylnaphthalene. The water-soluble fraction of the model fuel was incubated in shake flasks with water or water and sediment suspensions collected at estuarine and freshwater sites. Surface films of the model mixture were studied under quiescent incubation. The disappearance of hydrocarbons was measured by capillary gas chromatography. Control flasks were sterilized with HgC1 to estimate losses due to abiotic processes. Fate tests were repeated with petroleum-derived JP-4. The soluble components of JP-4 were volatilized too rapidly for biodegradation to occur. Sedimentation dramatically affected the fate of fuel components when mixing of the hydrocarbon and sediment layers was studied. Sediment-associated components were more resistant to volatilization and microbial attack.

• Research Organization: Air Force Engineering and Services Center, Tyndall AFB, FL (USA)
• OSTI ID: 6485366
• Report Number(s): AD-A-139791/8
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
AQUATIC ORGANISMS
METABOLISM
HYDROCARBONS
BIODEGRADATION
JET ENGINE FUELS
CYCLOHEXANE
DISTILLATES
GAS CHROMATOGRAPHY
HEXANE
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
METHYL RADICALS
MICROORGANISMS
MIXTURES
NAPHTHALENE
OIL SPILLS
SEDIMENTATION
SEDIMENTS
SORPTION
TOLUENE
VOLATILITY
WATER
ALKANES
ALKYL RADICALS
ALKYLATED AROMATICS
AROMATICS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CHROMATOGRAPHY
CONDENSED AROMATICS
CYCLOALKANES
DECOMPOSITION
DISPERSIONS
FUELS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
RADICALS
SEPARATION PROCESSES
020900* - Petroleum- Environmental Aspects
520200 - Environment
Aquatic- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport- (-1989)
560302 - Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology- Microorganisms- (-1987)