Biological treatment of soils contaminated with hydrophobic organics using slurry and solid phase techniques

Book · Sun Dec 31 04:00:00 EST 1995

OSTI ID:153281

Cassidy, D P; Irvine, R L ^[1]

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1. Univ. of Notre Dame, IN (United States)

Both slurry-phase and solid-phase bioremediation are effective ex situ soil decontamination methods. Slurry is energy intensive relative to solid-phase treatment, but provides homogenization and uniform nutrient distribution. Limited contaminant bioavailability at concentrations above the required cleanup level reduces biodegradation rates and renders solid phase bioremediation more cost effective than complete treatment in a bioslurry reactor. Slurrying followed by solid-phase bioremediation combines the advantages and minimizes the weaknesses of each treatment method when used alone. A biological treatment system consisting of slurrying followed by aeration in solid phase bioreactors was developed and tested in the laboratory using a silty clay load contaminated with diesel fuel. The first set of experiments was designed to determine the impact of the water content and mixing time during slurrying on the ate and extent of contaminant removal in continuously aerated solid phase bioreactors. The second set of experiments compared the volatile and total diesel fuel removal in solid phase bioreactors using periodic and continuous aeration strategies.

• OSTI ID: 153281
• Report Number(s): CONF-9506232--; ISBN 0-8194-1862-5
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
BIODEGRADATION
DIESEL FUELS
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
OIL SPILLS
REMEDIAL ACTION
SOILS