Open AccessBioremediation of Hydrocarbons in Contaminated Wood: A Proof‐of‐Concept Study
Author(s) -
Popova I. E.,
Beklemishev M. K.,
Kozliak E. I.
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
engineering in life sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.547
H-Index - 57
eISSN - 1618-2863
pISSN - 1618-0240
DOI - 10.1002/elsc.200520078
Subject(s) - naphthalene , environmental chemistry , bioremediation , contamination , biodegradation , chemistry , biomass (ecology) , hydrocarbon , pollutant , hexadecane , creosote , pulp and paper industry , environmental science , waste management , organic chemistry , geology , ecology , oceanography , engineering , biology
A proof‐of‐concept study to evaluate the biological removal of hydrocarbons (naphthalene, n‐ hexadecane, and fuel oil #2) from contaminated wood (Southern yellow pine) was conducted using 14 C‐labeled tracers and gas chromatography. Contaminated wood was brought in contact with n‐ hexadecane‐degrading Pseudomonas aeruginosa PG201 or naphthalene degrading environmental isolates by the application either on mineral medium agar or filter paper containing a previously grown biomass (“overlay” technique). The experiments showed a significant acceleration of naphthalene removal by biomass. Due to biodegradation combined with evaporation, naphthalene was nearly completely removed (up to 90–98 %) in 4–8 days from freshly contaminated 6 mm‐ and 17 mm‐thick wood samples. The removal of a less volatile hydrocarbon, n ‐hexadecane, was less efficient, at 40–60% in 20–40 days, with the only variable significantly affecting this pollutant's removal rate being the moisture content of the medium. Biodegradation experiments with standard heating fuel oil #2 (a representative real‐world contaminant) resulted in significant removal of light hydrocarbons (C 10 –C 16 ), i.e., more mobile/volatile substrates, in 3 weeks (up to 70 %) whereas heavier hydrocarbons (C 17 –C 19 ) were less affected. Pollutant mobility in both wood and aqueous media was shown to be the crucial factor affecting the removal efficiency. These results point toward a promising technique to reclaim wooden structures contaminated with volatile and semi‐volatile chemicals.