Does Bioavailability Limit Biodegradability? A Comparison of Hydrocarbon Biodegradation and Desorption Rates in Aged Soils
Journal Article
·
· Biodegradation
In order to determine whether bioavailability limits the biodegradability of petroleum hydrocarbons in aged soils, both the biodegradation and abiotic desorption rates of PAHs and n-alkanes were measured at various time points in six different aged soils undergoing slurry bioremediation treatment. Alkane biodegradation rates were always much greater than the respective desorption rates, indicating that these saturated hydrocarbons do not need to be transferred into the aqueous phase prior to metabolism by soil microorganisms. The biodegradation of PAHs was generally not mass-transfer rate limited during the initial phase, while it often became so at the end of the treatment period when biodegradation rates equaled abiotic desorption rates. However, in all cases where PAH biodegradation was not observed or PAH removal temporarily stalled, bioavailability limitations were not deemed responsible for this recalcitrance since these PAHs desorbed rapidly from the soil into the aqueous phase. Consequently, aged PAHs that are often thought to be recalcitrant due to bioavailability limitations may not be so and therefore may pose a greater risk to environmental receptors than previously thought.
- Research Organization:
- Pacific Northwest National Lab., Richland, WA (US)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- US Department of Energy (US)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC05-76RL01830
- OSTI ID:
- 15011108
- Report Number(s):
- PNNL-SA-40755; AC1015000
- Journal Information:
- Biodegradation, Journal Name: Biodegradation Journal Issue: 4 Vol. 15; ISSN BIODEG
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Assessment of Bioavailability Limitations During Slurry Biodegradation of Petroleum Hydrocarbons in Aged Soils
Microbial Factors Rather Than Bioavailability Limit the Rate and Extent of PAH Biodegradation in Aged Crude Oil Contaminated Model Soils
Comparison of PAH Biodegradation and Desorption Kinetics During Bioremediation of Aged Petroleum Hydrocarbon Contaminated Soils
Journal Article
·
Sun Nov 30 23:00:00 EST 2003
· Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry
·
OSTI ID:15007119
Microbial Factors Rather Than Bioavailability Limit the Rate and Extent of PAH Biodegradation in Aged Crude Oil Contaminated Model Soils
Journal Article
·
Thu Aug 01 00:00:00 EDT 2002
· Bioremediation Journal, 6(4):321-336
·
OSTI ID:15010215
Comparison of PAH Biodegradation and Desorption Kinetics During Bioremediation of Aged Petroleum Hydrocarbon Contaminated Soils
Conference
·
Wed Sep 20 00:00:00 EDT 2000
·
OSTI ID:947953