Relationship between structure and the aerobic biodegradation of selected fuel hydrocarbons in soils

Conference · Sat Dec 31 04:00:00 EST 1994

OSTI ID:40017

Miles, R A; Doucette, W J; Bugbee, B ^[1]

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1. Utah State Univ., Logan, UT (United States)

The relationship between structure and aerobic soil biodegradation was examined for a series of aliphatic and aromatic fuel components. A simple microcosm approach, utilizing measurements of oxygen consumption, was used to generate biodegradation data for eleven C6 through C16 straight chain aliphatics and several aromatic compounds, including phenanthrene, naphthalene and 1 methylnaphthalene, in two silt loam soils. The microcosms consisted of 100 mL glass vials fitted with Mininerte{reg_sign} valves and typically contained about 40 g of soil. All compounds were added directly to the soil, without a carrier solvent, resulting in a soil concentration of approximately 200 ppm. Headspace concentrations of oxygen, converted to percent of theoretical oxygen demand (%ThOD) by subtracting appropriate controls at each sampling time, were analyzed over time using a gas chromatograph equipped with a thermal conductivity detector. All hydrocarbons displayed an acclimation period price to the onset of accelerated oxygen consumption resulting in a characteristic S-shaped biodegradation curve. An inverse relationship between acclimation period and hydrophobicity was observed for the n-alkanes in both soils. Interestingly, n-octanol, used to further investigate the degradation process, did not show a significant acclimation period. Additional ongoing research involves using a wider range of organic chemicals and a comparison of biodegradability obtained in unplanted soils with that in rhizosphere soil.

• OSTI ID: 40017
• Report Number(s): CONF-9410273--
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
BIODEGRADATION
DECONTAMINATION
NAPHTHALENE
OIL SPILLS
PHENANTHRENE
REMEDIAL ACTION
SOILS