Journal article
The performance of ammonium exchanged zeolite for the biodegradation of petroleum hydrocarbons migrating in soil water
Benjamin L Freidman, Sally L Gras, Ian Snape, Geoff W Stevens, Kathryn A Mumford
JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS | ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV | Published : 2016
Abstract
Nitrogen deficiency has been identified as the main inhibiting factor for biodegradation of petroleum hydrocarbons in low nutrient environments. This study examines the performance of ammonium exchanged zeolite to enhance biodegradation of petroleum hydrocarbons migrating in soil water within laboratory scale flow cells. Biofilm formation and biodegradation were accelerated by the exchange of cations in soil water with ammonium in the pores of the exchanged zeolite when compared with natural zeolite flow cells. These results have implications for sequenced permeable reactive barrier design and the longevity of media performance within such barriers at petroleum hydrocarbon contaminated sites..
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Awarded by Australian Antarctic Science Project
Funding Acknowledgements
The authors acknowledge the financial support of Australian Antarctic Science Project 4029 and the Particulate Fluids Processing Centre (PFPC) at The University of Melbourne. We extend our thanks to Lauren Wise at the Australian Antarctic Division for TPH analysis and Rachel Knight at Bioscreen Medical for assistance with MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. We would also like to thank the anonymous reviewers for their input and advice.