Mobile bacteria and transport of polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons in porous media

Journal Article · Fri Oct 01 04:00:00 EDT 1993 · Applied and Environmental Microbiology; (United States)

OSTI ID:7068988

Jenkins, M B; Lion, L W ^[1]

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1. Cornell Univ., Ithaca, NY (United States)

Sorption of hydrophobic pollutants such as polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) to soil and aquifer materials can severely retard their mobility and the time course of their removal. Because mobile colloids may enhance the mobility of hydrophobic pollutants in porous media and indigenous bacteria are generally colloidal in size, bacterial isolates from soil and subsurface environments were tested for their ability to enhance the transport of phenanthrene, a model PAH, in aquifer sand. Batch isotherm experiments were performed to measure the ability of selected bacteria, including 14 isolates from a manufactured gas plant waste site, to sorb [sup 14]C-phenanthrene and to determine whether the presence of the suspended cells would reduce the distribution coefficient (K[sub d]) for phenanthrene with the sand. Column experiments were then used to test the mobility of isolates that reduced the K[sub d] for phenanthrene and to test the most mobile isolate for its ability to enhance the transport of phenanthrene. All of the isolates tested passively sorbed phenanthrene, and most but not all of the isolates reduced the K[sub d] for phenanthrene. Some, but not all, of those isolates were mobile in column experiments. The most mobile isolate significantly enhanced the transport of phenanthrene in aquifer sand, reducing its retardation coefficient by 25% at a cell concentration of [approximately]5 x 10[sup 7] ml[sup [minus]1]. The experimental results demonstrated that mobile bacteria may enhance the transport of PAHs in the subsurface.

• OSTI ID: 7068988
• Journal Information: Applied and Environmental Microbiology; (United States), Journal Name: Applied and Environmental Microbiology; (United States) Vol. 59:10; ISSN AEMIDF; ISSN 0099-2240
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
540220* -- Environment
Terrestrial-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (1990-)
AQUIFERS
AROMATICS
BACTERIA
COLLOIDS
CONDENSED AROMATICS
CONTAMINATION
DISPERSIONS
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
HYDROCARBONS
MASS TRANSFER
MATERIALS
MICROORGANISMS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
PHENANTHRENE
POROUS MATERIALS
SOILS