Relationship between structure and the aerobic biodegradation of selected fuel hydrocarbons in soils
- 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
Similar Records
Microcosm method for investigating the biodegradation of organic compounds in rhizosphere soils
Effects of plants on the biodegradation of pyrene, pentachlorophenol, and phenanthrene in soil