SULTAN QABOOS UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL AND ARCHITECTURAL ENGINEERING Geoenvironmental Engineering CIVL 6380 FALL

2013

Soil Biological Remediation Technologies

Name : Muhanad Khalid Hilal Al Nabhani ID : 82119

1.Introduction Biological remediation or bioremediation is the process of using naturally occurring bacteria to degrade organic compounds. It can also be used to insolubilize and solubilize metals depending upon the reaction chemistry (DAVID L. RUSSELL & P.E.,2013). Bioremediation technology is considered an effective and economically viable method for cleanup of hydrocarbon-contaminated soils and sludges, either in-situ or ex situ after excavation or transportation. In cases where soils cannot be treated in-situ, either due to regulatory reasons or the lack of availability of sufficient land, or due to risks to groundwater or air pollution, these soils must be excavated and bioremediated using landtreatment landtreatment units, composting composting methods, or use of biopiles biopiles or slurry bioreactor slurry bioreactor technologies.

Biological processes remain of great interest for the remediation of contaminated soils. In that context, enzymes appear as potent tools, because they provide solutions to some limitations encountered with whole organisms. Fungal oxidases, such as peroxidases and laccases, have been extensively studied. They exhibit great potential for the transformation (degradation or coupling) of numerous types of pollutants. Nevertheless, their capabilities have been demonstrated in liquid axenic cultures and remain, in most cases, to be demonstrated in soils. Approaches to research, including the screening of enzymatic systems produced by extremophilic microorganisms, appear to provide a good opportunity to discover other powerful bio-catalysers.

Due to a wide range of industrial and agricultural activities, a high number of chemical contaminants is released into the environment, causing a significant concern regarding potential toxicity, carcinogenicity, and potential for bioaccumulation in living systems of various chemicals in soil. Although microbial activity in soil accounts for most of the degradation of organic contaminants, chemical and physical mechanisms can also provide significant transformation pathways for these compounds. The specific

remediation processes that have been applied to clean up contaminated sites include natural attenuation, landfarming, biopiling or composting, contained slurry bioreactor, bioventing, soil vapor extraction, thermal desorption, incineration, soil washing and land filling (USEPA,2004).

2. Soil Biological remediation technologies

Table 2.1:Soil Biological remediation technologies Soil remediation processes Specific technologies
Landfarming Ex situ bioremediation

Comments
Involves excavation of soil and by placing on lined landfarms, and stimulation of natural microbial population by providing nutrients, water, bulking agents and tilling Involves excavation of soil and placing in heaps or aerated piles, and stimulating microbial activity by providing nutrients, water and oxygen Involves excavation of soil and treatment in a contained environment such as tanks/reactors by providing oxygen, water and nutrients under controlled conditions for accelerated biodegradation Clean up of heavy metal contaminated soil using acidophilic bacteria that oxidize reduced sulfur compounds to sulfuric acid. Performed either in slurry or by heap leaching system Achieved by creating a favorable environment to stimulate the natural or inoculated population of microorganisms. Biodegradation rate is influenced by biostimulation, bioaugmentation or cometabolism Involves injection of air or water to supply oxygen and nutrients into the underground contaminated mass Addition of air/oxygen and nutrients to enhance biodegradation of groundwater contaminants. Also potentially improves biodegradation in the unsaturated zone Anaerobic degradation of polychlorinated organic pollutants in sediments. Generally followed by an aerobic process for further dechlorination of the pollutants Higher plants are used either to degrade contaminants, to fix them in the ground, to accumulate them within plant tissue or to release them to the atmosphere A strategy of allowing natural processes to reduce contaminant concentrations over time, involving physical, chemical and biological processes with continuous monitoring

Biopile, biocells, bioheaps Biomounds, compost cells Ex situbioremediation Slurry bioreactor Ex situ bioremediation

Bioleaching

Enhanced bioremediation In situ bioremediation Biological processes Bioventing In situ bioremediation Biosparging

Anaerobic biodegradation

Phytoremediation

Monitored natural attenuation

2.1 in-situ technologies

2.1.1 Bioaugmentation technology Use where the remediation process is too slow or no degradation to accelerate degradation rates of contaminant using microorganisms to increase the reactive enzyme concentration within the bioremediation system(CPEO,2009).

Figure 1: process of Bioaugmentation

2.1.2Bioventing technology that uses microorganisms like indigenous bacteria to biodegrade organic

constituents such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and hydrocarbons adsorbed in the groundwater by inducing air or oxygen flow into the unsaturated zone and if necessary by adding nutrients (CPEO,2009).

Cleanup ranges from a few months to several years. Remediation time dependent upon the specific soil and chemical properties of the contaminated media Used for petroleum hydrocarbons, non-chlorinated solvents, some pesticides and wood preservatives Restrains for remediation : Low soil moistures, fine soil particle size, low temperature and high water table (Singh et al., 2009).

Figure 2: process of Bioventing

2.1.3 Biosparging technology that uses indigenous microorganisms to biodegrade organic constituents to reduce concentrations of petroleum constituents that are dissolved in groundwater, adsorbed to soil below the water table, and within the capillary fringe. by inducing air or oxygen flow into the saturated zone and if necessary by adding nutrients(CPEO,2009).

Figure 3: process of Biosparging

2.1.4 Bioslurping technology

aerobic biological degradation of the hydrocarbons when air is introduced into the unsaturated zone Bioslurping combines elements of bioventing and vacuum-enhanced pumping of free-product that is lighter than water (light non-aqueous phase liquid or LNAPL) to recover free-product from the groundwater and soil, and to bioremediate soils(CPEO,2009).

Figure 4: process of Bioslurping

2.1.5 Phytoremediation technology Process contains plants and trees are planted, whose roots absorb contaminants from soil and ground water over time, and are harvested and destroyed
(CPEO,2009).

Phytoremediation include phytodegradation, phytoextraction, phytostabilization,phytovolatilization and rhizofiltration. Phytoremediation using conventional plants such as grasses, sunflower, corn, hemp, flax, alfalfa, tobacco, willow, Indian mustard, poplar, etc. shows good potential for the removal of pollutants from large areas with relatively low concentrations of unwanted compounds.

Most important parameter for selection of suitable plants(Singh et al., 2009). Example NIMR Water Treatment Project in Oman. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=am-xtIF5Zds

2.2 Ex-situ technologies In cases where soils cannot be treated in situ due to either regulatory reasons or the unavailability of sufficient land, risk to groundwater or air pollution. 2.2.1 land treatment units technology

requires excavation and placement of contaminated sludges, soils and

sediments into lined beds which periodically tilled to aerate the soil.

contaminated soil is augmented with nutrients and microorganisms,

to improve processes for biodegradation of the contaminants.

The landfarming process treats the top 30 cm layer of the soil and involves the addition of fertilizers and bulking agents, and includes periodic tilling and irrigation to stimulate.

Landfarming is a cost-effective treatment if there is no risk of

leaching hydrocarbons into the groundwater, or the volatilization of contaminants to create any health risk to workers and neighborhood communities. most successful process in treating lighter petroleum hydrocarbons.

Figure 5: process of land treatment 2.2.2 Composting technology the contaminated soil is mixed with organic materials such as straw, wood chips, and sewage sludge, and is placed in piles or windrows with the addition of organic bulking agents improves soil aeration the major drawback is the requirement of substantial space, and increase in the volume due to addition of bulking agents

2.2.3 biopiles technology an engineered composting system where aeration is

provided through a network of sparger pipes and a leachate collection system is used for water-soluble hydrocarbons Compared to landtreatment units, the biopiles

require less space operation is more controlled, and suited for the treatment of

more volatile hydrocarbons such as gasoline and jet fuels by covering the pile and

applying a slight negative pressure to the system and pulling air through an exhaust prior to discharge. successfully applied to treatment of non-halogenated VOCs and fuel hydrocarbons.

2.2.4 slurry bioreactor technology Contained bioreactor systems can overcome the deficiencies of landfarming, composting or biopiling methods. Accelerated bioremediation of contaminants can be achieved in bioreactors, where greater control over pH, temperature, moisture, mixing, bioavailability of nutrients, energy source (substrate) and oxygen promotes optimal microbial growth and activity (Ward et al., 2003). Continuous mixing results in dispersion of soil and desorption of contaminants from soil, and contact with the aqueous phase is promoted, resulting in increased biodegradation rate.

Figure 6: process of slurry bioreactor

Reference

Ajay Singh, Ramesh C. Kuhad, Owen P. Ward. 2009. Soil Biology: Advances in Applied Bioremediation, volume: 17. The Center for Public Environmental Oversight (CPEO).2009. DAVID L. RUSSELL, P.E.REMEDIATION MANUAL FOR CONTAMINATED SITES: Biological Remediation,http://ezproxy.squ.edu.om:2150/doi/pdfplus/10.1201/b11206-6,last accessed in December 31, 2013. USEPA. 2004. Cleaning up the Nations waste sites: markets and technology trends. Technology innovation and field services division, office of solid waste and emergency response, EPA 542- R-04015. Van Hamme JD, Singh A, Ward OP .2003. Recent advances in petroleum microbiology. Microbiol Mol Biol. Rev 7:503549.