Remediation of a Sandy Soil Contaminated With Petroleum Products by Landfarming

• Type: Article in International Conference Proceedings Book
• Date: 2003

Authors

António Fiúza (Author) FEUP; Maria José Padrão (Author) Other

Conference proceedings International

Title: Proceedings of the Second International Conference on Remediation of Contaminated Sediments

Pages: B-02-B-6

Second International Conference on Remediation of Contaminated Sediments

Venice, Italy, 30 Sep–3 Oct 2003

Other information

Abstract (EN): The knowledge of the biodegradation kinetics of petroleum products in a contaminated soil is very important for the comprehension of the mechanisms involved, as well as for an effective design of the selected technologic variant. Laboratory studies were conducted using bioreactors containing two types of contaminated sandy soil samples: one with diesel and another with crude oil. Both were collected in spillages locations. The microbial activity was stimulated through aeration and addition of a solution enriched in nutrients. The soils were sampled every week in order to determine the pH, the moisture content, the bacterial population, the nutrients and the contaminant concentration. The degradation rates were quantified based upon changes in the total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) concentrations. The experimental data provided the basis for the development of a comprehensive model describing simultaneously the time evolution of biomass and contaminant degradation. Several phenomena were globally taken into account in the kinetic models: the volatilisation, a fast kinetics component, a slow kinetic component and the refractory hydrocarbons for the time scale used in the experiments. This model is in turn linked to the kinetics of the biomass evolution. The proposed methodology is hereby exemplified by its application to the crude oil sample.

Language: Portuguese

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific

No. of pages: 5