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Title: Biodegradation testing of bitumen

Conference ·
OSTI ID:6825903

An estimate of the rate of biodegradation of bituminous material is necessary to predict the long-term stability of low- and intermediate-level waste solidified using bitumen. Data from a series of scoping experiments have been analyzed to determine the rate of degradation of blown bitumen samples under a variety of conditions. Among the variables investigated were the effect of soil type, moisture, sample surface area and microbial strain. The rate of degradation was measured by monitoring metabolic CO/sub 2/ release. Using this data it was found that, for degradation in soil, a mean rate of 5.5 x 10..mu../sup 4/ cm/y represented all data to within a factor of about two. This mean rate is nearly that for distilled bitumen samples measured by other workers.

Research Organization:
Brookhaven National Lab., Upton, NY (USA); Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC (USA)
DOE Contract Number:
AC02-76CH00016
OSTI ID:
6825903
Report Number(s):
BNL-NUREG-38999; CONF-861207-57; ON: TI87004609
Resource Relation:
Conference: Materials Research Society fall meeting, Boston, MA, USA, 1 Dec 1986
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English