Land application studies of industrial waste oils and solvents. [Effects of waste oil disposal on soils and subsequent plant communities; aslo fate of the waste oil]
Investigations to determine if mixing waste oil with soil could prove to be an environmentally acceptable method of oil disposal were begun in 1975 at the Savannah River Plant. Waste oil (21.3 1/m/sup 2/) was applied to 12 of 24 soil plots and mixed thoroughly into the top 15 cm of soil. Four fertilizer levels were applied and the plots were tilled for aeration at two and nine months after the oil was applied. Soil core samples, taken at three-month intervals, show negligible vertical migration of oil and a steady decline in oil content of the soil. One year after initial application, microbial activity was six times as great on the sites which had oil applied as on adjacent control sites without oil. Oil biodegradation was not affected by the fertilizer levels. By the summer of 1977, approximately 50% of the applied oil was lost from the soil profile through biodegradation or volatilization indicating an annual loss rate of approximately 15,000 kg/ha. Plant growth on the oil treated plots was negligible in 1975, was restricted in 1976, and productivity of a crabgrass community showed no significant difference in 1977 between oil and non-oil plots. Almost all of the vegetation was crabgrass (Digitaria sanguinalis) on the oil plots. On the non-oil plots Digitaria was the most common species, but Richardia scabra and Diodia teres were also present in significant quantities. Soil biodegradation is an environmentally acceptable method for disposal of waste oil. Oil applied to the soil did not migrate either to the water table or surface stream and appearance has been restored to pre-oil conditions. This study is continuing to evaluate the ultimate effects of the oil application.
- Research Organization:
- Du Pont de Nemours (E.I.) and Co., Aiken, SC (USA). Savannah River Lab.
- DOE Contract Number:
- EY-76-C-09-0001; EY-76-C-09-0819
- OSTI ID:
- 6384874
- Report Number(s):
- DP-MS-78-55; CONF-781242-1
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: American Society of Agronomy, Chicago, IL, USA, 4 Dec 1978
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
02 PETROLEUM
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
GRASS
PLANT GROWTH
WASTE DISPOSAL
LAND POLLUTION
WASTE OILS
BIODEGRADATION
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS
EVAPORATION
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
FERTILIZERS
INDUSTRIAL WASTES
ISOLATED VALUES
MICROORGANISMS
SOILS
BIOMASS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
DATA
DATA FORMS
DECOMPOSITION
ENERGY SOURCES
GROWTH
INFORMATION
MANAGEMENT
NUMERICAL DATA
OILS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OTHER ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
PHASE TRANSFORMATIONS
PLANTS
POLLUTION
RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTES
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