Reclamation of Smaller Volumes of Petroleum Hydrocarbon Contaminated Soil Using an Innovative Reactor System: A Case Study Evaluation of the Design
View/ Open
Date
2017-07Author
Zappi, Mark E.
Bajpai, Rakesh
Hernandez, Rafael
Taconi, Katherine
Gang, Daniel
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Petroleum products contamination is a world-wide problem that threatens
polluting groundwater and surface water systems. However, the problem is
not only large-scale in scope when viewed from a case-by-case basis. Many fueling,
construction, agricultural, and industrial activities result in the problem
of managing smaller quantities of these soils from an ecological safety perspective.
Landfilling has been the disposal method of choice in the US; however,
this option is becoming economically prohibitive and it does not really offer
a true degradation fate for the pollutants. This study focused on the proving
of an innovative biocell design that afforded a high level of petroleum degradation
within a simple and cost effective design. Additionally, the design
offered a remediation solution for sites not easily accessed. Soil contaminated
with both diesel fuel and gasoline collected from a former filling station was
used in this on-site remediation case study. Rapid biodegradation of the petroleum
products were observed at the initiation of the study with rates leveling
off as the study progressed with the final total petroleum hydrocarbon
concentration being 10 mg/kg at Day 90. Oxygen uptake rates were monitored
and found to nicely track both microbial activity and pollutant removal dynamics.
The biocell design met all expectations by being effective, yet simple
to build and operate.
Collections
- Agriculture [96]