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Quantification of Biodegradable Dissolved Organic Carbon in Soil Solution with Flow‐Through Bioreactors
Author(s) -
Yano Yuriko,
McDowell William H.,
Kinner Nancy E.
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
soil science society of america journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.836
H-Index - 168
eISSN - 1435-0661
pISSN - 0361-5995
DOI - 10.2136/sssaj1998.03615995006200060012x
Subject(s) - dissolved organic carbon , bioreactor , chemistry , environmental chemistry , biodegradation , humic acid , sorption , total organic carbon , degradation (telecommunications) , soil water , nutrient , environmental science , soil science , adsorption , telecommunications , fertilizer , organic chemistry , computer science
A flow‐through bioreactor method for drinking water or stream water was modified for the rapid determination of biodegradable dissolved organic C (BDOC) in small, discrete samples such as soil solutions collected in lysimeters. Biodegradable dissolved organic C was measured as the difference in dissolved organic C (DOC) concentration between the inlet and outlet when a sample was pumped through a column colonized by indigenous soil microbes. Both feed water and sample solutions were adjusted to ≈ 10 mg C L ‐1 to maintain a consistent environment in the column, and inorganic nutrients (N, P, S, and K) were added to avoid a nutrient limitation on C degradation. Biodegradable dissolved organic C values obtained by this method were consistent for a year and were insensitive to changes in ambient temperature (13–24°C) and flow rate (0.36–0.42 mL min ‐1 ). Dextrose, humic acid, and dextrose‐humic acid solutions were used to test the bioreactors. Only 5% or less of the humic acid C was lost in the bioreactor, suggesting limited abiotic sorption of C. Nearly 100% loss of dextrose, coupled with large increases in dissolved inorganic C (DIC), suggested biotic degradation of BDOC within the bioreactors.