Biodegradation of Soybean Biodiesel Generates Toxic Metabolites in Soil

Water, Air, &; Soil Pollution - Phytoremediation is a cost-effective and relatively cleaner method for remediating contaminated areas using plants. Certain plants, including some sunflower...     

Biodegradation of Diesel Oil in Soil by a Microbial Consortium

Biodegradation of diesel oil was performed using adiesel oil-degrading bacterial consortium, in bothlaboratory and pilot scale experiments. The bacterialconsortium was prepared in liquid for laboratory testsand for pilot scale experiments, it was prepared intwo steps, liquid and then in soil. The concentrationof diesel in soil treated with the bacterialconsortium was reduced to <15% of the initialconcentration, within a period of five weeks in bothlaboratory (135 to 19.32 g diesel kg (soil dryweight)^-1) and pilot scale (118 to 17.5 g dieselkg (soil dry weight)^-1) experiments, incomparison with controls (without bacterialconsortium), in which initial concentration of dieselwas reduced by only 5 and 15%, respectively. Dieselbiodegradation rate with the bacterial consortium was2.13 g diesel kg (soil dry weight)^-1 d^-1, itwas slightly enhanced by the addition ofNH₄NO₃ in the presence of bacterialconsortium 2.78 g diesel kg (soil dry weight)^-1d^-1. The enhancement of the microbial activity inhydrocarbon-contaminated soil can be achieved with thecombination of stepwise soil inoculation and nutrient additions.     

An Assessment of the Biodegradation of Petroleum Hydrocarbons in Contaminated Soil Using Non-indigenous, Commercial Microbes

A study was conducted to determine the efficiency and effectiveness of two commercial microbial based bioremediation products compared to indigenous tropical microorganisms in a small-scale trial. The oil and grease content of the samples was monitored as an indication of the levels of petroleum hydrocarbon during the experiment. The indigenous enriched culture generally biodegraded the petroleum hydrocarbon to a greater extent than the commercial products and media controls early in the bioremediation process (0–5 days). However, as time progressed the extents of biodegradation were not significantly different between treatments until late in the bioremediation process (after 18 days). Of the two commercial products, one was more effective, reducing the level of oil and grease by 52.5% over the 3 week study. However, neither commercial product was able to meet the manufacturer’s stated level of 95% removal within three weeks. Commercial microbial-based bioremediation products may be used with some success in tropical environments, however location-specific trials may be required to ensure that the best commercial product is selected. As an alternative, the selective enrichment of indigenous microorganisms may result in similar performance at a reduced cost.     

生物表面活性剂在石油污染土壤生物预制床修复中的应用研究

通过拮抗实验选用高效降解菌B2020,真菌F2006、F2008、F6、F9904、F9902进行互配,对生物预制床中的高凝油、稠油、特稠油、稀油进行处理,发现生物表面活性剂对石油的降解有促进降解作用,在90~120d降解率提高较大。如果空气温度较高,无论是否施用生物表面活性剂,石油的降解速率都得到了大幅度提高,平均提高幅度为15%左右。因此,生物修复应尽量选择在温度较高的季节进行。     

An Experimental Study of the Diesel Biodegradation Effects on Soil Biogeophysical Parameters

The purpose of this study was to understand the dynamic conditions of soil/organic mixtures in order to contribute to the study of remediation processes at hydrocarbon spill sites. Induced polarization (IP) and physical, chemical, and microbiological parameters for uncontaminated and artificially contaminated soil samples with diesel oil were evaluated under controlled conditions (constant temperature and soil moisture) during a period of 12 months. In contaminated samples, the resistivity and IP parameters (chargeability and polarizability) decreased during 8 months and remained relatively stable between 8 and 12 months. The observed reduction on resistivity and IP parameters was related to the increase on the granular aggregation of the soil and a decrease on total porosity, caused by diesel-degrading microorganisms. The behavior of the IP parameters observed after 8 months can be explained by a reduction in the microbial activity and, consequently, a decrease of the degradation rate of diesel. In the studied loamy soil with high content of organic matter (96.16 g/kg), the results demonstrate that IP time domain measurements can be used in the evaluation of the evolution of the hydrocarbon degradation even when the concentration is not very high.     

Factors Influencing Anaerobic Biodegradation of Biodiesel Industry Wastewater

Economic and environmental stimuli for biodiesel production have also increased production of glycerol, a byproduct present in biodiesel industry wastewater (BIW). The objective of the present study was to analyze which factors influenced glycerol biodegradation in anaerobic sequencing batch reactors (AnSBR) in the attempt to optimize chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal efficiency. Six factors were analyzed: pH, temperature, mixing speed, influent COD, inoculum mass, and reaction time. The results indicated that mixing speed, temperature, mass of inoculum, and reaction time had direct influence on COD removal efficiency in BIW. The reactor used in the experiments operated with efficiencies and applied loads above those mentioned in the literature. The mathematical model generated in this study can be used for estimating efficiency, process control and scale up of AnSBR.     

Finger-Printing Biodegradation of Petroleum Contamination in Shallow Groundwater and Soil System Using Hydro-bio-geochemical Markers and Modelling Support

This study was conducted to determine the potential of in situ biodegradation and identify the geochemical and microbial processes of the petroleum-contaminated subsurface environment using integrated hydro-bio-geochemical markers so that the risk of contamination to subsurface environment can be better understood. The contamination process and corresponding bio-geo-chemistry were analysed in parallel with geochemical and multi-variant statistical modelling at a petroleum-contaminated site in the northeast China. The total petroleum hydrocarbon analysed in the monitoring wells and soil profile demonstrated heavy contamination with potential risk to human health and eco-environment. Further detailed analysis of petroleum fractions revealed a clear spatial variation of organic compositions in groundwater. It was evident that biodegradation and preferential biodegradability contributed considerably to the fraction distribution pattern, which can also be implicated by carbon and microbial respiration in the subsurface environment. The steady decrease in SO ₄ ^2- concentration, detection of S^2-, and increase in pH and alkalinity (HCO ₃ ^- ) in groundwater during the monitoring period demonstrated that sulphate reduction was the dominant biodegradation process in most contaminated zones. The results of statistical analysis further suggested that the hydro-geochemical environment was mainly controlled by the regional hydro-geochemical and sulphate reduction process associated closely with the total petroleum hydrocarbon. Knowledge from the comprehensive study provides useful insight on fate, transport and risk assessment of the petroleum contaminants in the shallow subsurface environment.     

Biodegradation of High Concentrations of Benzene and Diesel in a Fixed-Film Reactor

Water, Air, & Soil Pollution - The degradation of benzene in groundwater at concentrations as high as 2,000&nbsp;mg L?1 was studied using a four-column trickling-flow fixed-film...     

Availability of Aged Toluene and Decane for Biodegradation in Soil

Toluene and decane which are common volatileorganic compounds (VOCs) found in natural gas spills, have beentested for their availability to biodegradation in soil aftervarious times of aging. For this purpose, single compounds wereadded to sterile soil in three concentrations of up to 1000 ppmand aged for 0, 35, and 70 days. After aging, soils were vented,inoculated and then incubated for 31 days. Both compounds wererapidly biodegraded reaching final soil concentrations below 1 ppm, regardless of the aging time. However, some sequestration ofsmall amounts of aged chemical in soil was evident for decane (up to 0.7 ppm), especially when the compound was added in largeramounts of 1000 ppm.     

石油污染土壤的生物修复研究进展

对于石油污染土壤的修复,其生物修复具有环境友好、费用较低等特点,是最具应用前景的土壤修复技术。本文较全面地介绍了石油污染土壤生物修复的影响因素、石油污染土壤的生物修复技术,并对该领域今后的研究重点进行了展望。     

Effects of Soil Factors on Phytotoxicity and Dissipation of Sulfentrazone in Canadian Prairie Soils

Studies were conducted to examine the effects of soil properties on sulfentrazone phytotoxicity and dissipation under laboratory conditions. The pH values of five soils from Saskatchewan were altered through acidification with hydrochloric acid (HCl) and alkalization with calcium carbonate (CaCO₃). The phytotoxicity of sulfentrazone to sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L. Beta 1385), determined using a shoot length bioassay, was reduced when soil pH was lowered and was greater when soil pH increased. Concentrations corresponding to 50% inhibition (I₅₀ values) obtained from the dose–response curves were correlated with soil pH, demonstrating the relationship between soil pH and sulfentrazone phytotoxicity. Dissipation of sulfentrazone was examined in soils incubated at 25 °C and moisture content of 85% field capacity. Sulfentrazone dissipation followed a two-compartment model, and sulfentrazone half-lives estimated from the dissipation curves ranged from 21 to 111 days. Half-lives were correlated with soil pH (R = –0.857, p = 0.014) and soil organic carbon content (R = 0.790, p = 0.034) but not with clay content (R = 0.287, p = 0.533). Soil characteristics, particularly soil pH and organic carbon content, affect the bioactivity of sulfentrazone and influence both sulfentrazone efficacy in weed control and its potential for carry-over injury to subsequent crops.     

Bioremediation of a Crude Oil-Polluted Soil: Biodegradation,Leaching and Toxicity Assessments

The combined fate and effects of hydrocarbons (HC) on a soilecosystem affected by bioremediation were studied during 480days in a field experiment. The HC removal rates, the HC andmetabolites mobility and the potential toxicity were assessed.A clayey soil polluted by 18 000 mg HC kg^-1 dry soil, wastreated with either static-ventilated biopile or series of fivewindrows periodically tilled in order to determine the relativeinfluence of nutrients, bulking agents, aeration and soiltemperature. HC concentrations were determined by infraredspectrometry, gravimetry, gas chromatography andthermodesorption. Between 70 to 81% of the initial HC wereremoved through biological processes in fertilized soils,whereas natural attenuation without added nutrients was 56%.When adding fertilizers, residual HC were cyclic compoundspoorly biodegraded and strongly trapped on the organo-mineralmatter. Leaching of HC and water-soluble metabolites wasdemonstrated during the first stages of biodegradation. Lowlevels of the HC were detected in the leachates at day 480.Maximal toxicity was highest immediately after the introductionof oil then decreased as biodegradation proceeded. No toxiceffect was recorded on worms survival and on seeds germinationat day 480. However growth of plants was reduced in treatedsoils and a potential residual toxicity was observed on thebasis of photosynthesis inhibition and bacterial bioluminescence (Microtox) tests.     

石油工业与水土保持

针对石油工业开采、加工和输送3个阶段对生态环境的危害进行了分析探讨,提出了水土保持有利于石油工业的持续发展,能够有效地促进人与自然的和谐发展和资源的持续效益发挥,是石油工业发展的基础保障的观点。在石油工业发展的各个阶段,水土保持方案编制与实施对保护石油开采区域和炼制加工场地及输送管线周边的生态环境十分必要。水土保持是保护石油安全生产、加工和输送的必要屏障,是促进石油资源可持续利用的必由之路。     

Alleviation of Soil Acidity and Aluminium Phytotoxicity in Acid Soils by Using Alkaline-Stabilised Biosolids

A pot experiment was carried out to study alleviation of soil acidity and Al toxicity by applying an alkaline-stabilised sewage sludge product (biosolids) to an acid clay sandy loam (pH 5.7) and a strongly acid sandy loam (pH 4.5). Barley (Hordeum vulgare L. cv. Forrester) was used as a test crop and was grown in the sewage sludge-amended (33.5 t sludge DM ha-1) and unamended soils. The results showed that the alkaline biosloids increased soil pH from 5.7 to 6.9 for the clay sandy loam and from 4.5 to 6.0 for the sandy loam. The sludge product decreased KCl-extractable Al from 0.1 to 0.0 cmol kg-1 for the former soil and from 4.0 to 0.1 cmol kg-1 for the latter soil. As a result, barley plants grew much better and grain yield increased greatly in the amended treatments compared with the unamended controls. These observations indicate that alkaline-stabilised biosolids can be used as a liming material for remedying Al phytotoxicity in strongly acid soils by increasing soil pH and lowering Al bioavailability.     

混合菌降解土壤中多环芳烃的试验研究

PAHs生物降解程度受多种因素影响。通过筛选驯化PAHs降解菌,研究混合菌对土壤中菲、芘、苯并（a）蒽、苯并（b）荧蒽、苯并（k）荧蒽、茚并（1,2,3-cd）芘的生物降解性能,并考察污染时间对土壤中PAHs降解效果的影响。结果表明,筛选的混合菌具有很强的PAHs降解能力,缩短了PAHs生物降解的半衰期,且PAHs起始降解速率较快,之后趋于平缓。27d内土壤中的菲、芘、苯并（a）蒽、苯并（b）荧蒽、苯并（k）荧蒽、茚并（1,2,3-cd）芘的平均降解率分别为98.14%、89.97%、88.47%、63.55%、65.24%、60.49%,其中菲在5d之内的降解率高于93%。污染210d的土壤中各PAHs的起始降解速率高于污染50d的土壤,因此污染时间越长,PAHs生物降解的停滞期越短。     

Alleviation of Soil Aluminum Phytotoxicity in a Typical Paddy Soil in Southern China by Using Weak Organic Acids

Weak organic acids including tartaric and citric acids were applied to a typical paddy soil in southern China to test their effects on rice in the field for three years. Their effects were also compared with top dressings of the two acids, basal application of diammonium acid phosphate, calcium carbonate, and the control. The results showed that rice grain yield of the citric acid treatment was significantly higher than that of the control and the same difference was also observed for the filled spikelets per panicle. There were no significant difference among all the treatments and the control on the accumulation of above ground dry matter. However the root dry matter, length, peroxidase activity, and white root number of citric acid treatment were significantly higher than that of the control, while no significant differences among other treatments were observed. Basal application of citric acid played a positive role on this soil.     

Amendment-Induced Immobilization of Lead in a Lead-Spiked Soil: Evidence from Phytotoxicity Studies

Lead immobilization was evaluated on soils spiked with increasingconcentrations of Pb (as Pb-acetate) using the following soilamendments: bentonite, zeolite, cyclonic ash, compost, lime,steelshot, and hydroxyapatite. The immobilization efficacy of theamendments was evaluated according to the following criteria:Ca(NO₃)₂-extractable Pb as an indicator of Pbphytoavailability, morphological and enzymatic parameters of beanplants (Phaseolus vulgaris) as indicator of phytotoxicity, and Pb concentration in edible tissue of lettuce (Lactuca sativa). The lowest reductions in Ca(NO₃)₂-extractablesoil Pb occurred when bentonite and steelshot were applied. Phytotoxicity from application of steelshot was confounded by toxic amounts of Fe and Mn released from the by-product which killed the lettuce seedlings. Addition of zeolite induced poorplant growth independent of Pb concentration due to its adverseeffect on soil structure. Substantial reductions in Ca(NO₃)₂-extractable Pb were observed when cyclonic ash, lime, compost and hydroxyapatite were applied. In general,these amendments reduced Pb phytotoxicity concomitant with reduced Pb concentration in lettuce tissue. Cyclonic ash, limeand compost further improved plant growth and reduced oxidativestress at low soil Pb concentrations due to soil pH increase mitigating Al or Mn toxicity.     

土壤中酚的微生物降解试验研究

为研究微生物对土壤中酚污染的净化能力,培养分离出了一株能有效降解酚的芽孢杆菌,并通过土柱试验研究了其降解特性和影响因素。结果表明,该芽孢杆菌在温度为16℃~30℃时,对浓度为50~500mg L-1范围内的酚污染(相当于10~l00μg g-1的土壤酚含量)降解率高达96.1%以上,且对pH值适应范围较大。     

Extractability and Subsequent Biodegradation of PAHs from Contaminated Soil

The biodegradation of polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) has been well documented; however, the biodegradation of PAHs in contaminated soil has proved to be problematic. Sorption of PAHs to soil over time can significantly decrease their availability for extraction much less than for biodegradation. In this study the ability of various organic solvents to extract PAHs from coal tar-contaminated soil obtained from former manufactured gas plant (MGP) sites was investigated. Solvents investigated included acetone/hexane, dichloromethane, ethanol, methanol, toluene, and water. The extraction of MGP soils with solvents was investigated using soxhlet extraction, multiple soxhlet extractions, sonication, and brief agitation at ambient temperature with a range of solvent concentrations. Of particular interest was the documentation of the recalcitrance of PAHs in weathered MGP soils to extraction and to bioremediation, as well as to demonstrate the ease with which PAHs extracted from these soils can be biodegraded. The efficiency of extraction of PAHs from MGP soils was found to be more dependent upon the choice of solvent. The environmentally-benign solvent ethanol, was shown to be equal to if not better than acetone/hexane (the EPA recommended solvent) for the extraction of PAHs from MGP soils, brief contact/agitation times (minutes) using small quantities of ethanol (2 volumes or less) can achieve nearly quantitative extraction of PAHs from MGP soils. Moreover aqueous slurries of an MGP soils experienced less than 10% biodegradation of PAHs in 14 days while in the same period about 95% biodegradation was acieved using PAHs extracted from this soil by ethanol and subsequently added to aqueous bacterial suspensions.     

Rhamnolipids Increase the Phytotoxicity of Diesel Oil Towards Four Common Plant Species in a Terrestrial Environment

The study focused on assessing the influence of rhamnolipids on the phytotoxicity of diesel oil-contaminated soil samples. Tests evaluating the seed germination and growth inhibition of four terrestrial plant species (alfalfa, sorghum, mustard and cuckooflower) were carried out at different rhamnolipid concentrations (ranging from 0 to 1.200?mg/kg of wet soil). The experiments were performed in soil samples with a different diesel oil content (ranging from 0 to 25?ml/kg of wet soil). It was observed that the sole presence of rhamnolipids may be phytotoxic at various levels, which is especially notable for sorghum (the germination index decreased to 41?%). The addition of rhamnolipids to diesel oil-contaminated soil samples contributed to a significant increase of their phytotoxicity. The most toxic effect was observed after a rhamnolipid-supplemented diesel oil biodegradation, carried out with the use of a hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria consortium. The supplemention of rhamnolipids (600?mg/kg of wet soil) resulted in a decrease of seed germination of all studied plant species and an inhibition of microbial activity, which was measured by the 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride tests. These findings indicate that the presence of rhamnolipids may considerably increase the phytotoxicity of diesel oil. Therefore, their use at high concentrations, during in situ bioremediation processes, should be avoided in a terrestrial environment.