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Appl Environ Microbiol. 1984 April; 47(4): 763-767
Copyright © 1984, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Fate of Hydrocarbons During Oily Sludge Disposal in Soil

¹ Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey 08903, and Exxon Research and Engineering, Florham Park, New Jersey 07932²

ABSTRACT

A 1,280-day laboratory simulation of the "landfarming" process explored the fate in soil of polynuclear aromatics (PNAs) and total extractable hydrocarbon residues originating from the disposal of an oily sludge. In addition to the measurement of CO₂ evolution, periodic analyses of PNAs and hydrocarbons monitored biodegradation activity. The estimation of carbon balance and of soil organic matter assessed the fate of residual hydrocarbons. Seven sludge applications during a 920-day active disposal period were followed by a 360-day inactive "closure" period with no further sludge applications. A burst of CO₂ evolution followed each sludge addition, but substantial amounts of undegraded hydrocarbons remained at the end of the study. Hydrocarbon accumulation did not inhibit biodegradation performance. Conversion of hydrocarbons to CO₂ predominated during active disposal; incorporation into soil organic matter predominated during the closure period. In this sludge, the predominant PNAs were degraded more completely (85%) than total hydrocarbons. Both biodegradation and abiotic losses of three- and four-ring PNAs contributed to this result. Some PNAs with five and six rings were more persistent, but these constituted only a small portion of the PNAs in the sludge. The study confirmed that the microbially mediated processes of mineralization and humification remove sludge hydrocarbons from soils of landfarms with reasonable efficiency.

^* Corresponding author.

New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station publication no. D-01502-1-83.

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