Protozoa in subsurface sediments from sites contaminated with aviation gasoline or jet fuel
- Robert S. Kerr Environmental Research Lab., Ada, OK (United States)
Fuel hydrocarbons are known to be readily biodegraded and protozoa may be associated with this process. The objective of this study is to determine whether protozoa are numerous enough in the contaminated areas of the subsurface to play a significant role in the microbial community. The results indicate that protozoa can become very numerous in the subsurface at fuel-contaminated sites with the greatest abundance of protozoa in the unsaturated zone, where fuel vapors mixed with atmospheric oxygen, and slightly beneath the floating fuel on the water table. In contrast, bacteria seemed to adapt to local conditions and showed less change in numbers in different parts of the profile than protozoa. Bioremediation of subsurface sediments is dependent on a sufficient hydraulic conductivity to permit pumping nutrients through the affected area. Bacteria have been known to cause large reductions in hydraulic conductivity. At the study area this reduction was not noted in spite of large concentrations of bacteria. The authors conclude that this may indicate a role for protozoa in maintaining hydraulic conductivity during biotreatment of readily degraded organic contaminants.
- OSTI ID:
- 6503768
- Journal Information:
- Applied and Environmental Microbiology; (United States), Vol. 59:2; ISSN 0099-2240
- 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.
AVIATION FUELS
BIODEGRADATION
PROTOZOA
SOILS
REMEDIAL ACTION
BACTERIA
CONTAMINATION
GASOLINE
HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY
HYDROCARBONS
JET ENGINE FUELS
OXYGEN
SEDIMENTS
VAPORS
WATER TABLES
ANIMALS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
DECOMPOSITION
ELEMENTS
FLUIDS
FUELS
GASES
INVERTEBRATES
LIQUID FUELS
MICROORGANISMS
NONMETALS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
PETROLEUM PRODUCTS
540220* - Environment
Terrestrial- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport- (1990-)
560300 - Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology