Effect of Sewage-Sludge on Bioremediation of a Crude-Oil Polluted Soil

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Faculty Member of Soil Fertility and Sustainable Development Research Center, Khuzistan Jahad-e-Daneshgahi

2 Assist. Prof. of Soil Science, College of Agriculture, Chamran University, Ahvaz

3 Assist. Prof. of Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Chamran University., Ahvaz

4 Instructor of Agronomy and Plant Breeding, Dept. of Agriculture, Chamran University, Ahvaz

Abstract

Khuzestan Province accommodates the largest oil-fields with huge petroleum production in Iran. During the Persian Gulf war in 1991, more than 6-8 million gallons of oil was spilt in the Persian Gulf, the greatest amount of which was transported into Khuzestan soil. Thus, oil removal from contaminated soil by advanced technologies such as bioremediation seems to be of vital necessity. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of sewage-sludge application on bioremediation of oil-contaminated soil. Soil samples (5kg) were artificially contaminated with crude oil to a level of 1000 mg/kg. Sewage sludge treatments were applied at the 3 levels of 0, 100, and 200 gr/5kg soil in 3 replicates. The soils were kept in the normal moisture aerobic environment for 5 and 10 weeks. The soils were then analyzed for Hydrocarbon-degrading heterotrophic bacterial count. Oil extraction from the samples was accomplished using the oil Soxhlet extraction method and oil degradation was measured by GC chromatography. The results showed that the hydrocarbon-degrading and heterotrophic bacterial counts in all the treatments increased with time. Results indicate that heterotrophic bacterial population increased from 6×103 cfu/gr soil to  2×1010  cfu/gr soil. Also, C/N ratio decreased from 6 to 3. GC results indicated that all normal Alkanes and Isopernoids, i.e. Phytane and Pristane, decreased by 50-90 percent in all the treatments. It was also found that the application of sewage sludge at 100 gr/5kg soil to oil-contaminated soil leads to greater rates of biodegradation after 5 weeks

Keywords

References

1- Rezaei, M. (2005). Petroleum Geology, 2nd Ed., Farhikhtegan Alavi Pub., Tehran (in Persian).
2. Moslemi, M. R., Vosoughi, M., Pak, A., and Jafarzadeh, M.T. (2005). “The effect of environmental factors on biological remediation of petroleum hydrocarbon contaminated soil.” J. of Water and Wastewater, 55, 15-23 (in Persian).
3- Espinoza, Y.R., and Dendooven, L. (2004). “Dynamics of carbon, nitrogen and hydrocarbons in diesel-contaminated soil amended with biosolids and maize.” J. Chemosphere, 54, 379-386.
4- Namkoong, W., Hwang, E. Y., Park, J.S., and  Choi, J. Y. (2002). “Bioremedation of diesel-contaminated soil with composting.” J. of Environmental Pollution., 119, 23-31.
5- Gogoi, B.K., Dutta, N.N., and Krishnamohn, T.R. (2003). “A case study of bioremediation of petroleum-hydrocarbon contaminated soil at a crude oil spill site.” J. Advances in Environmental Research., 7, 767-782.
6- Schaefer, M., and Juliane, F. (2007). “The influence of earthworms and organic additives on the biodegradation of oil contaminated soil.” J. Applied Soil Ecoogy., 36, 53-62.
7- Kim, S.J., Choi, D.H., Sim, D.S., and Oh, Y.S. (2005). “Evaluation of bioremediation effetiveness on crude oil-contaminated sand.” J. Chemosphere., 59, 845-852.
8- Ramsay, A. M., Swannell-Warren, P. T., Duke, A.Sh., and Hill, R. T. (2000). “Effect of bioremediation on the microbial community in oiled mangrove sediments.” J. Marine Pollution Bulletin., 41 (7-12), 413-419.
9- Espinoza, Y.R., and Dendooven, L. (2003). “Dynamics of carbon, nitrogen and hydrocarbons in diesel-contaminated soil amended with biosolids and maze.” J. Chemosphere., 54, 379- 386.
10- Ryan, J.R., Loehr, R.C., and Rucker, E. (1991). “Bioremediation of organic contaminated soils.” J. Hazard. Mater., 28 (10), 159-169.
11- Odokuma, O., and Dickson, A. A. (2003). “Bioremediation of a crude oil polluted tropical rain forestL.” Global J. Environmental Sciences., 2 (1), 29-40
12- Van Gestel, K., Mergaert, J., Swings, J., Coosemans, J., and Ryckebore, J. (2003). “Bioremediation of diesel oil-contaminated soil by composting with biowaste.” J. Environmental Pollution, 125 (3), 361-368.
13- Kim, S.H., Lee, S., Kim, D.Y., and Kim, J.G. (2007). “Degradation characteristic of waste lubricants under different nutrient codition.” J. Hazardous Materials, 143 (5),65-72.
14- Geller, A., Michels, J., Track, T., Gehrke, U., and Sell, D. (2002). “Grundlagen derbiologischen Bodensanierung”. Biologigische Verfahren Zar Bodensanierung, UBA. Berlin.
15- De Jonge, H., Freijer, J.I., Verstraten, J.M., Westerveld, J., and Vander Wielen, F.W.M. (1997). “Retation between bioavailability and fuel oil hydrocarbon composition in contaminated soils.” J. Environ. Sci. Technol., 31, 771-775.
16- Atlas, R.M., and Bartha, R. (1973). “Fate and effects of polluting petroleum in the marine environment”. Residue Rev., 49 (2), 49-83.
17- Hunt, J. M. (1996). Petroleum geochemistry and geology, 2nd Ed., W.H. Freeman and Company,New York.
18- Das, K., and Murkherjee, A.K. (2007). “Crude petroleum-oil biodegradation efficiency of Bacillus subtilis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolated from a petroleum-oil contaminated soil from North-East India.” J. of Bioresource Technology, 98 (10), 1339-1345
.
Journal of Water and Wastewater; Ab va Fazilab ( in persian )
Volume 21, Issue 2 - Serial Number 2
Serial number:74
May and June 2010
Pages 37-45

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics