Proceedings of the Annual International Conference on Soils, Sediments, Water and Energy

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<p>The University of Massachusetts Amherst is a global leader in the development of science and engineering tools for environmental assessment and management. As a center for research, education, service and outreach, the University has, for more than a decade, hosted the Annual International Conference on Soils, Sediments, Water and Energy. This colloquium is a “must attend” for academics, students, regulatory authorities, policy makers, and the private sector. The Conference is particularly noteworthy for its success in bringing practitioners and analysts from across the globe to share experiences and contribute to the deliberations.</p> <p>Through 2004, conference proceedings were published annually in the hardcover series Contaminated Soils. Now, the University is building on the success of the Annual Conference and the Proceedings series and publishing presented papers from the conference in an open access format. Starting with Volume 11, manuscripts are available both as individual papers or as part of the complete proceedings for that year.</p> <p>Volume 11 includes manuscripts presented at the 21st Annual International Conference on Soils, Sediments and Water, held October 17-20, 2005.</p> <p>Volume 12 includes manuscripts presented at the 22nd Annual International Conference on Soils, Sediments and Water held October 16-19, 2006.</p> <p>Volume 13 includes manuscripts presented at the 23rd Annual International Conference on Soils, Sediments and Water held October 15-18, 2007.</p> <p>Volume 14 includes manuscripts presented at the 24th Annual International Conference on Soils, Sediments and Water held October 20-23, 2008.</p> Volume 15 includes manuscripts presented at the 25th Annual International Conference on Soils, Sediments, Water, and Energy held October 19-22, 2009 Volume 16 includes manuscripts presented at the 26th Annual International Conference on Soils, Sediments, Water and Energy held October 18-21, 2010 Volume 17 includes includes manuscripts presented at the 27th Annual International Conference on Soils, Sediments, Water, and Energy held October 17-20, 2011
<h3>PROCEEDINGS OF THE ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON SOILS, SEDIMENTS, WATER AND ENERGY</h3> <h2>Aims and Scope</h2> <p>The Annual International Conference on Soils, Sediments and Water is a yearly event hosted in October at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. The proceedings are an open access annual international publication on the scientific and technical information, data and critical analysis in the areas of Analysis, Site Assessment, Environmental Fate, Environmental and Human Risk Assessment, Remediation and Regulation as applied to contaminated soils, sediments, water and energy. Manuscripts that have been presented at the conference both as poster or platform presentations may be submitted to be included in the conference proceedings for that year.</p> <p>The conference includes the following topics.</p> <p>Analysis - basic analytical problems, with assessment of contaminated soil, sediment or water, and development and evaluation of innovative laboratory techniques and standards.</p> <p>Site Assessment – application and development of field sampling techniques, statistical design, sample collection and handling.</p> <p>Environmental Fate – The movement and partitioning of contaminants and breakdown products in soil, sediment and water, including chemical and physical influences and the mathematical representation of contaminant movement.</p> <p>Environmental and human risk assessment issues – analysis of exposure assessment and health effects to humans and the environment, and risk characterization of sites including remedial actions.</p> <p>Regulation – regulatory programs, policies and legal considerations including numerical standards of cleanups (action levels, maximum concentration levels, cleanup levels), approaches used by the regulatory community, legal issues pertaining to regulatory actions and statutes and private sector transactions.</p> <p>The above general areas include more specific topics presented at the Annual International Conference on Soils, Sediments, Water and Energy:</p> Acid Mine Drainage<br> Analysis<br> Bioremediation<br> Biotechnology<br> Chemical Oxidation Remediation Practices<br> Combination of Remediation Technologies<br> Environmental Fate<br> Environmental Forensics<br> Environmental Modeling<br> Heavy Metals<br> Innovative Technologies<br> Legal Issues<br> MTBE<br> Munitions and Explosives of Concern<br> Perchlorate<br> Pesticides<br> Phytoremediation<br> Regulatory<br> Remediation<br> Risk Assessment<br> Site Assessment<br> Sustainable Remediation<br> Vapor Intrusion<br>
<h2><macro journal_styleguide_label></h2> <div id="styleguide"> <p>This document provides details on typesetting and layout requirements pertaining to final manuscript submission to <em><macro ir_journal.title encode='html'></em>.</p> <h3>Formatting Requirements</h3> <ul> <li>Do not include a title page or abstract. (Begin the document with the introduction; a title page, including the abstract, will be added to your paper by the editors.)</li> <li>Do not include page numbers, headers, or footers. These will be added by the editors.</li> <li>Write your article in English (unless the journal expressly permits non-English submissions).</li> <li>Submit your manuscript, including tables, figures, appendices, etc., as a single file (Word, <magic if test="my.AUTO_CONVERT_WORDPERFECT_FILE">WordPerfect, </magic><acronym title="Rich Text Format">RTF</acronym>, or <acronym title="Portable Document Format">PDF</acronym> files are accepted).</li> <li>Page size should be 8.5 x 11-inches.</li> <li>All margins (left, right, top and bottom) should be 1.5 inches (3.8 cm), including your tables and figures.</li> <li>Single space your text.</li> <li>Use a single column layout with both left and right margins justified.</li> <li>Font: <ol><li>Main Body&amp;#8212;12 pt. Times or the closest comparable font available</li> <li>Footnotes&amp;#8212;10 pt. Times or the closest comparable font available</li> </ol> </li> <li>If figures are included, use high-resolution figures, preferably encoded as encapsulated PostScript (eps).</li> <li>Copyedit your manuscript.</li> <li>When possible, there should be no pages where more than a quarter of the page is empty space.</li> </ul> <h3>Additional Recommendations</h3> <h4>Indenting, Line Spacing, and Justification</h4> <p><strong>Indent all paragraphs except those following a section heading.</strong> An indent should be at least 2 em-spaces.</p> <p>Do not insert extra space between paragraphs of text with the exception of long quotations, theorems, propositions, special remarks, etc. These should be set off from the surrounding text by additional space above and below. </p> <p>Don't "widow" or "orphan" text (i.e., ending a page with the first line of a paragraph or beginning a page with the last line of a paragraph).</p> <p>All text should be <strong>left-justified</strong> (i.e., flush with the left margin&amp;#8212;except where indented). Where possible, it should also be right-justified (i.e., flush with the right margin). "Where possible" refers to the quality of the justification. For example, <a href="https://www.latex-project.org" title="LaTeX project: LaTeX &amp;ndash; A document preparation system">LaTeX</a> and <a href="https://www.tug.org/" title="TeX Users Group (TUG) home page">TeX</a> do an excellent job of justifying text. Word does a reasonable job. But some word processors do a lousy job (e.g., they achieve right justification by inserting too much white space within and between words). We prefer flush right margins. However, it is better to have jagged right margins than to have flush right margins with awkward intra- and inter-word spacing. Make your decision on whichever looks best. </p> <h4>Language &amp;amp; Grammar</h4> <p>All submissions must be in English. Except for common foreign words and phrases, the use of foreign words and phrases should be avoided.</p> <p> Authors should use proper, standard English grammar. The <em>Elements of Style</em> by William Strunk, Jr. and E. B. White (now in its fourth edition) is the "standard" guide, but other excellent guides (e.g., <em>The Chicago Manual of Style</em>, University of Chicago Press) exist as well. </p> <h4>Article Length</h4> <p>Because this journal publishes electronically, page limits are not as relevant as they are in the world of print publications. We are happy, therefore, to let authors take advantage of this greater "bandwidth" to include material that they might otherwise have to cut to get into a print journal. This said, authors should exercise some discretion with respect to length.</p> <h4>Colored text</h4> <p>Set the <strong>font color to black</strong> for the majority of the text. We encourage authors to take advantage of the ability to use color in the production of figures, maps, etc., however, you need to appreciate that this will cause some of your readers problems when they print the document on a black &amp;amp; white printer. For this reason, you are advised to avoid the use of colors in situations where their translation to black and white would render the material illegible or incomprehensible.</p> <p>Please ensure that there are no colored mark-ups or comments in the final version, unless they are meant to be part of the final text. (You may need to "accept all changes" in track changes or set your document to "normal" in final markup.) </p> <h4>Emphasized text</h4> <p>Whenever possible use <em>italics</em> to indicate text you wish to emphasize rather than underlining it. The use of color to emphasize text is discouraged.</p> <h4>Font faces</h4><p>Except, possibly, where special symbols are needed, use Times or the closest comparable font available. If you desire a second font, for instance for headings, use a sans serif font (e.g., Arial or Computer Modern Sans Serif). </p> <h4>Font size</h4> <p>The main body of text should be set in 12pt. Avoid the use of fonts smaller than 6pt.</p> <h4>Foreign terms</h4> <p>Whenever possible, foreign terms should be set in <em>italics</em> rather than underlined.</p> <h4>Headings</h4> <p><strong>Headings</strong> (e.g., start of sections) should be distinguished from the main body text by their fonts or by using small caps. Use the same font face for all headings and indicate the hierarchy by reducing the font size. There should be space above and below headings.</p> <h4>Main text </h4> <p>The font for the <strong>main body</strong> of text must be black and, if at all possible, in Times or closest comparable font available. </p> <h4>Titles</h4> <p>Whenever possible, <strong>titles of books, movies, etc.</strong>, should be set in <em>italics</em> rather than underlined.</p> <h4>Footnotes</h4> <p><strong>Footnotes</strong> should appear at the bottom of the page on which they are referenced rather than at the end of the paper. Footnotes should be in 10 pt. Times or closest comparable font available, they should be single spaced, and there should be a footnote separator rule (line). Footnote numbers or symbols in the text must follow, rather than precede, punctuation. Excessively long footnotes are probably better handled in an appendix. All footnotes should be left and right-justified (i.e., flush with the right margin), unless this creates awkward spacing.</p> <h4>Tables and Figures</h4> <p>To the extent possible, <strong>tables and figures</strong> should appear in the document near where they are referenced in the text. Large tables or figures should be put on pages by themselves. Avoid the use of overly small type in tables. In no case should tables or figures be in a separate document or file. All tables and figures must fit within 1.5" margins on all sides (top, bottom, left and right) in both portrait and landscape view.</p> <h4>Mathematics</h4> <p><strong>Roman letters</strong> used in mathematical expressions as variables should be <em>italicized</em>. Roman letters used as part of multi-letter function names should not be italicized. Whenever possible, subscripts and superscripts should be a smaller font size than the main text. </p> <p><strong>Short mathematical expressions</strong> should be typed inline. <strong>Longer expressions</strong> should appear as display math. Also expressions using many different levels (e.g., such as the fractions) should be set as display math. Important definitions or concepts can also be set off as display math. </p> <p><strong>Equations</strong> should be numbered sequentially. Whether equation numbers are on the right or left is the choice of the author(s). However, you are expected to be consistent in this. </p> <p><strong>Symbols and notation</strong> in unusual fonts should be avoided. This will not only enhance the clarity of the manuscript, but it will also help insure that it displays correctly on the reader's screen and prints correctly on her printer. When proofing your document under <acronym title="Portable Document Format">PDF</acronym> pay particular attention to the rendering of the mathematics, especially symbols and notation drawn from other than standard fonts. </p> <h2 id="bibliography">References</h2> <p>It is the author's obligation to provide complete references with the necessary information. After the last sentence of your submission, please insert a line break&amp;#8212;not a page break&amp;#8212;and begin your references on the same page, if possible. References should appear right after the end of the document, beginning on the last page if possible. References should have margins that are both left and right- justified. You may choose not to right-justify the margin of one or more references if the spacing looks too awkward. Each reference should give the last names of all the authors, their first names or first initials, and, optionally, their middle initials. The hierarchy for ordering the references is:</p> <ol> <li> Last name of first author </li> <li> First name of first author <li> Last name of second author (if any). Co-authored work is listed after solo-authored work by the same first author (e.g., Edlin, Aaron S. would precede Edlin, Aaron S. and Stefan Reichelstein).</li> <li> First name of second author</li> <li> Publication date</li> <li> Order cited in text</li> </ol><p> The information to be given with each citation in the references is as follows:</p> <h4>Articles in traditional journals:</h4> <p><strong>Required:</strong> Author's (authors') name(s), title of article, name of journal, year of publication (or "n.d." if no date), volume number, page numbers. </p> <p><em>Optional (but desirable)</em>: issue number and month/season of publication. For forthcoming (in press) articles, put expected year of publication and substitute "forthcoming" for the volume and page numbers.</p> <p><em>Optional(but desirable)</em>: A hyperlink to the article.</p> <h4>Books:</h4> <p><strong>Required:</strong> Author's (authors') name(s), title of book, year of publication (or "n.d." if no date), publisher, publisher's address, edition (if not first). For forthcoming (in press) books, put expected year of publication and add "forthcoming."</p> <h4>Chapters in collections or anthologies:</h4> <p><strong>Required:</strong> Name(s) of author(s) of chapter, name(s) of editor(s) of book, title of chapter, title of book, year of publication (or "n.d." if no date), publisher, publisher's address, and edition (if not first). For forthcoming (in press) books, put expected year of publication and add "forthcoming."</p> <h4>Working papers:</h4> <p><strong>Required:</strong> Author's (authors') name(s), title of working paper, year (or "n.d." if no date), location (e.g., "Department of Economics Working Paper, University of California, Berkeley" or "Author's web site: http://www.someurl.edu/author." If the working paper is part of series, then the series name and the number of the working paper within the series must also be given.</p> <h4>Other works:</h4> <p><strong>Required:</strong> Author's (authors') name(s), title of work, year (or "n.d." if no date), and information about how the reader could obtain a copy.</p> <p>Within the references section, the citations can be formatted as you like, provided (i) the formatting is consistent and (ii) each citation begins with the last name of the first author. That is, the following would all be acceptable:</p> <div class="example"> <pre>Smith, Adam (1776) The Wealth of Nations, . . .</pre> <pre>Smith, A., The Wealth of Nations, . . . , 1776. </pre> <pre>Smith, Adam: The Wealth of Nations, 1776, . . .</pre> </div><div class="clear">&amp;nbsp;</div> <p>Use hanging indents for citations (i.e., the first line of the citation should be flush with the left margin and all other lines should be indented from the left margin by a set amount). Citations should be single-spaced with extra space between citations.</p> <p>When works by the same author are listed in a row, use &amp;#8212; instead of writing the name again. Hence, one might have</p> <div class="example"> <pre>Smith, Adam: The Wealth of Nations, . . .</pre> <pre>&amp;#8212;: The Theory of Moral Sentiments, . . . </pre></div><div class="clear">&amp;nbsp;</div> <p>Similarly, instead of repeating two names use</p> <div class="example"> <pre>"&amp;#8212; and &amp;#8212;."</pre></div> <p>For instance,</p> <div class="example"><pre>Edlin, A. and S. Reichelstein (1995) . . . &amp;#8212; and &amp;#8212; (1996) . . . </pre></div> <div class="clear">&amp;nbsp;</div> <p>Within the text of your manuscript, use the <strong>author-date</strong> method of citation. For instance, </p> <div class="example"> <pre>"As noted by Smith (1776)." </pre> </div><div class="clear">&amp;nbsp;</div> <p>When there are two authors, use both last names. For instance,</p> <div class="example"> <pre>"Edlin and Reichelstein (1996) claim . . . "</pre> </div> <div class="clear">&amp;nbsp;</div> <p>If there are three or more authors give the last name of the first author and append et al. For instance, a 1987 work by Abel, Baker, and Charley, would be cited as</p> <div class="example"> <pre>"Abel et al. (1987)." </pre> </div> <div class="clear">&amp;nbsp;</div> <p>If two or more cited works share the same authors and dates, use "a," "b," and so on to distinguish among them. For instance,</p> <div class="example"> <pre>"Jones (1994b) provides a more general analysis of the model introduced in Example 3 of Jones (1994a)."</pre></div> <div class="clear">&amp;nbsp;</div> <p>After the first cite in the text using the author-date method, subsequent cites can use just the last names if that would be unambiguous. For example, Edlin and Reichelstein (1996) can be followed by just Edlin and Reichelstein provided no other Edlin &amp;amp; Reichelstein article is referenced; if one is, then the date must always be attached.</p> <p>When citations appear within parentheses, use commas&amp;#8212;rather than parentheses or brackets&amp;#8212;to separate the date from the surrounding text. For instance, </p> <div class="example"> <pre>" ...(see Smith, 1776, for an early discussion of this)."</pre></div> <div class="clear">&amp;nbsp;</div> </div>

Search Results

Now showing 1 - 10 of 186
  • Publication
    Feather Waste As Petroleum Sorbent: A Study Of Its Structural Biodegradation
    Cervantes-González, E.; Rojas-Avelizapa, L.I.; Cruz-Camarillo, R.; Rojas-Avelizapa, N.G.; García-Mena., J
    Using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), the present study evaluated the biodegradation of chicken feathers during a petroleum hydrocarbon removal process by a defined-mixed culture that pose the simultaneous abilities to remove petroleum hydrocarbons and produce keratinases in liquid culture. Biodegradation treatments were performed in Erlenmeyer flasks containing mineral media, 6% w/v of chicken feathers and 64,800 mg l-1 of petroleum hydrocarbons. Flasks were inoculated with the keratinolytic-mixed culture, which was previously obtained from a petroleum-polluted site, and then incubated at 28ºC, 180 rpm during 21 days. Every 7th day, a sample was collected and fractioned; one fraction was processed to be analyzed by SEM while the residual petroleum-hydrocarbons were extracted from the other fraction and quantified by gas chromatography. Controls without inocula were processed under same conditions. The photomicrographs illustrated the different stages of the feathers’ biodegradation; they are first found intact without degradation while the microorganisms from the mixed culture appear only in the supernatants. After the 7th day a remarkable colonization of the feathers begins to be observed, along with a considerable degradation observed after the 14th day of incubation.
  • Publication
    Soybean Derived Fuel Liquids As Additives For Middle Distillate Transportation Fuels
    Mushrush, George W.; Mose, Douglas G.; Bauserman, Joy W.
    Biodiesel liquids are increasingly being used as blending stocks with middle distillate ground transportation fuels or as a fuel itself. However, an upper limit of 20% biodiesel is common for a soy derived biodiesel blending stock with petroleum diesel fuels. It is important for operational consideration to look at the many problems this could present. Among the more important considerations are storage stability, filterability, temperature ranges, fuel compatibility, oxidative stability, and induced instability reactions. We compare the soy methyl esters to the untreated soy cooking oil for compatibility with petroleum fuels.
  • Publication
    Floater/Sinker Site Assessment Complicated By Asbestos
    Merritt, Clifford A.
    This paper is a case study of how soil and groundwater investigations were conducted at a site containing building asbestos and having access limitations. While previous evaluations of site conditions utilized time-consuming conventional soil borings and monitoring well procedures, continuing investigations necessitated more advanced screening techniques. Since the principal site contaminants are hydrocarbons (both light and dense), Cone Penetration Testing (CPT) and Ultraviolet Induced Fluorescence (UVIF) technologies were chosen to evaluate subsurface conditions. The first round of CPT/UVIF testing indicated groundwater contamination may have extended under the plant buildings which led to building asbestos removal and structural demolition. The second round of CPT/UVIF field work completed in four days appears to have successfully delineated the hydrocarbon contamination.
  • Publication
    Chemical Characteristics of Sediment of the Lower Hackensack River, New Jersey
    Konsevick, Edward; Bragin, A. Brett
    The sediments of the Lower Hackensack River provide a record of contamination from ongoing and historical processes in a highly urbanized watershed in northern New Jersey. This estuarine river runs through suburban and small cities in its northern, freshwater reaches; passing south through 8,500 acres of wetlands known as the Hackensack Meadowlands to its mouth at Newark Bay. The goal of this review is to depict the environmental quality of this ecosystem using data derived from sediments collected in 2003 during a Fishery Resource Inventory. This study replicated a similar inventory conducted in 1988, allowing for elucidation of spatial and fifteen-year trends. In the sediments, heavy metal concentrations, grain size distribution and carbon content were analyzed. Based on sediment guidelines published by NOAA in 1995, the estuary is in “poor” ecological condition; the average concentration of one contaminant, mercury, exceeds the ERM (ERM is the median concentration of a contaminant observed to have adverse biological effects in the literature values examined). It is also apparent that enrichment of mercury and other metals occurs in the Hackensack River north of the mouth of Berry’s Creek, a major tributary known for its legacy of industrial contamination. In addition to this spatial trend, a good predictor of metal concentrations in the sediments appears to be the amount of organic matter present; preservation of organic matter in the river increases as tidal influence is diminished. The sulfate/sulfide cycle, driven by the reaction between seawater and the organic matter, appears to be the primary mechanism. Between 1988 and 2003, the average sediment concentrations were reduced significantly for cadmium (71%), chromium (63%), copper (73%) and lead (22%); zinc concentrations remained approximately the same (mercury was not analyzed in 1988). These results suggest a natural attenuation process at work, as burial preserves sulfide rich contaminated sediments.
  • Publication
    Index
  • Publication
    Estimation Of Natural Resource Damages For 23 Florida Cases Using Physical Fates And Biological Modeling
    Rowe, Jill; McCay, Deborah French; Whittier, Nicole
    Oil spill modeling was performed using the “type A” (simplified, with a minimum of field data requirements) modeling approach and SIMAP (Spill Impact Model Analysis Package) to assess marine biological injuries and natural resource damages (NRD) for 23 spill cases identified by Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). The objectives were to provide (1) an assessment of the pathways and fate of the oil, and thus, estimate exposure to the water surface, shoreline and other habitats, water column, and sediments; and (2) estimates of injuries to wildlife, aquatic organisms, and habitats that were used to scale compensatory restoration. Compensatory habitat restoration for all quantifiable wildlife, fish and invertebrate injuries was scaled using Habitat Equivalency Analysis (HEA) and wetland habitat creation as mitigation. However, this is not a direct method of increasing sea turtle production. Therefore, scaling was performed to estimate the number of hatchlings needed to compensate for the sea turtle injuries. DEP then successfully submitted claims for NRD to the US Coast Guard Oil Pollution Fund.
  • Publication
    The Versatility Of Organoclays For Permeable Barriers
    Alther, George R.
    Permeable barriers at creosote and PNAH containing sediments require a barrier which is permeable and, at the same time, traps creosote and PNAH plumes. Such plumes can also include such organic hydrocarbons as PCP and other chlorinated phenolic compounds, PCB's and BTEX's. Lab tests and actual field applications have shown that organically modified clays are an excellent medium to trap such compounds in groundwater and in sediments at old MPG sites. The PNAH compounds include naphthalene, pyrene, fluorine, anthrazene and others. Organoclays are very well suited to trap these compounds efficiently. Since pesticides are also a serious problem for groundwater and sediments, a brief literature review is included. This article reports on various laboratory tests and actual field results, which have been obtained over the years, showing the suitability of organoclays as a component of permeable barriers.
  • Publication
    Pulsed Biosparging Of A Residual Fuel Source Emplaced At CFB Borden
    Lambert, Jennifer M; Yang, Tianxiao; Thomson, Neil R.; Barker, James F.
    Biosparging enhances both aerobic biodegradation and volatilization and is commonly applied to residual hydrocarbon source zone remediation. This technology was applied in pulsed mode to a known source of gasoline contamination in order to quantify the extent of remediation achieved in terms of both mass removed and reduction in mass discharge into groundwater. The gasoline source was created at the groundwater research facility at CFB Borden, Canada. About 40 L of gasoline with 10% ethanol was injected in small volumes from 24 injection points below the water table in 2004. The downgradient plume is still being monitored and the source area was cored in 2007. In 2008, a single-point biosparge system was installed and operated. Water-saturated soils precluded the use of a traditional soil vapor extraction (SVE) system, so an airtight cover was used with soil venting to capture and monitor off-gases. Conservative tracers (He, SF6) and hydrocarbon gas monitoring were intended to assign mass removal to volatilization. CO2 and O2 monitoring in the off-gas confirmed limited biodegradation of hydrocarbons. Post-remediation core analysis and downgradient monitoring of groundwater will be used to define the extent of remediation and decline of mass discharge to the groundwater plume.
  • Publication
    Biodegradation Of Weathered Oil In Soils With A Long History Of TPH Contamination
    Smith, Jennifer; Dore, Sophia; Pope, Donald; Balba, Talaat; Weston, Alan
    Sites with a long history of exposure to petroleum hydrocarbons contain mainly long chain hydrocarbons or “weathered oil”. This is because petroleum is a complex mixture of many organic compounds and these compounds biodegrade at different rates. Under aerobic conditions the shorter hydrocarbon chains biodegrade first and the longer chains are more recalcitrant. Long chain hydrocarbons are less soluble in water and more like tar in consistency than the shorter chain hydrocarbons, so a major problem with the degradation of these compounds is that bacteria that break down hydrocarbons do not come into contact with them. These compounds are not bioavailable and therefore do not biodegrade. A petroleum refinery that has been active for many years has a large amount of weathered oil in the surrounding soil and groundwater. A treatability study was performed on samples from the Site to determine whether conditions could be manipulated to stimulate the biodegradation of the weathered oils. Several sets of microcosms containing soil and groundwater were set up. Along with nutrients and an oxygen source, a biodegradable surfactant was added to some of the sets in order to determine whether increasing the bioavailability of the hydrocarbons would enhance their degradation. After the microcosms were set up, there was an initial increase in hydrocarbons in the aqueous phase and a decrease in hydrocarbons in the soil phase in the microcosms that had received surfactant. This change was due to the surfactant solubilizing hydrocarbons out of the soil and into the water. As the experiment progressed however, a decline in hydrocarbon levels in both soil and groundwater was observed. It was determined that by manipulating the conditions and solubilizing the hydrocarbons, biodegradation of weathered oils could be stimulated. Hydrocarbons could be removed from soils that had contained these weathered oils for many years without any appreciable degradation.
  • Publication
    Effects Of Soil Matrix And Aging On The Dermal Bioavailability Of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons In The Soil
    Turkall, Rita M.; Skowronski, Gloria A.; Abdel-Rahman, Mohamed S.
    The potential health risk from exposure to chemically contaminated soil can be assessed from bioavailability studies. The aims of this research were: (a) to determine the dermal bioavailability of contaminants in soil for representatives of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon class of chemicals, namely, benzo(a)pyrene and naphthalene, and (b) to examine the relative contribution of soil matrix and chemical sequestration in soil with time (“aging”) on their bioavailability. In vitro flow-through diffusion cell studies were performed utilizing dermatomed male pig skin and radioactive chemicals to measure dermal penetration. Volatilization of naphthalene was predominant in reducing the amount of chemical available for dermal penetration. Immediate contact with either of two soils reduced volatilization, however, only the soil with higher clay content resulted in reduced penetration. Aging in higher sand content soil and higher clay content soil further reduced skin penetration by 23 and 70 fold, respectively, versus naphthalene in the absence of soil. Benzo(a)pyrene penetration was reduced >88% following immediate contact with either soil with further reductions occurring after aging. While aging in either soil reduced the dermal penetration of both naphthalene and benzo(a)pyrene, the effect on naphthalene was much greater. The results of this study suggest that the bioavailability from dermal exposure to the polycyclic aromatic chemicals examined can be significantly reduced by soil matrix and aging in soil, resulting in reduced potential health risk following dermal exposure.