Hydrocarbon-Contamination of Soils Around a Trinidadian Pitch Lake: Red Muds as a Resistance to Potential Soil Toxicants

Author(s):  
Mark Anglin Harris
2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (11) ◽  
pp. 193
Author(s):  
Mark Anglin Harris

<p>Hydrocarbon-contamination can change hydraulic conductivity (HC) in soils, and hence increase the spreading rate of aqueous toxicants in the ground. A constant head permeameter used in the laboratory to measure HC of soils taken from near the Pitch Lake in Trinidad determined that the HC exceeded that of a reference soil having “normal HC” for a loam. Although water moved rapidly through it, the Pitch Lake soil (PLS) remained dry due to water repellence. Treatment consisted of either of two red mud bauxite wastes mixed at 25 and 50% w/w with PLS at air dry. One of the bauxite wastes had undergone treatment with gypsum several years before and hence contained a greater proportion of calcium ions compared to the other red mud which contained more sodium ions. At 25% w/w the non-gypsum-treated red mud waste decreased HC of the PLS by 50%, and at 50% w/w caused a 10-fold decrease of HC on the PLS. The gypsum-treated red mud waste had no effect on the HC of the PLS. The drastic decrease in HC of the hydrocarbon-contaminated soil implies blocking of hydraulic channels by inorganic particles. The high levels of Na<sup>+</sup> released in the Bayer beneficiation process dispersed and released fine &lt; 5 mµ clay particles from the non-gypsum-treated red muds. This suggests that the rapid movement of aqueous pollutants in such hydrocarbon-polluted soils could be similarly curtailed under field conditions.</p>


Author(s):  
J. Bentley ◽  
E. A. Kenik

Common artifacts on analytical electron microscope (AEM) specimens prepared from bulk materials are surface films with altered structure and composition that result from electropolishing, oxidation, hydrocarbon contamination, or ion milling (preferential sputtering or deposition of sputtered specimen or support material). Of course, the best solution for surface films is to avoid them by improved specimen preparation and handling procedures or to remove them by low energy ion sputter cleaning, a capability that already exists on some specialized AEMs and one that is likely to become increasingly common. However, the problem remains and it is surprising that surface films have not received more attention with respect to composition determination by energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDS) and electron energy loss spectrometry (EELS).For EDS, an effective first-order correction to remove the contribution of surface films on wedge shaped specimens is to subtract from the spectrum of interest a spectrum obtained under identical conditions (probe current, diffracting conditions, acquisition live time) from a thinner region of the specimen.


1996 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 433-452 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Bucens ◽  
Alan Seech ◽  
Igor Marvan

Abstract In 1992, GRACE Dearborn, Inc. was contracted by Environment Canada to conduct a field-scale demonstration of the DARAMEND bioremediation technology under the auspices of the Great Lakes Cleanup Fund's Contaminated Sediment Treatment Technology Program. The demonstration on approximately 150 tonnes of sediment dredged from Hamilton Harbour was completed by January 1994. Two distinct batches of sediment were treated. One batch of 90 tonnes of sediment, dredged directly from the harbour without any pretreatment, is the focus of this paper. Sediment was received in October 1992 and was treated through to December 1993. Treatment was conducted in an high-density polyethylene-lined treatment cell that was covered by a steel framed greenhouse. The treatment involved amending, tilling and closely controlling the sediment water content. In approximately 300 days of treatment, the level of total polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon contamination was reduced from approximately 1,000 µg/g to 100 µg/g, corresponding to a destruction and removal efficiency of approximately 90%. Notably, the high molecular weight polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (containing 4 to 6 benzene rings) were effectively degraded to concentrations below the Ministry of the Environment and Energy’s Soil Placement Guideline for controlled fill (MOEE 1992). The trend in the data suggest that following addition of DARAMEND amendment and several months of active management, the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons would continue to biodegrade as a result of the DARAMEND amendment even without active management of the sediment.


Author(s):  
Emilio D’Ugo ◽  
Milena Bruno ◽  
Arghya Mukherjee ◽  
Dhrubajyoti Chattopadhyay ◽  
Roberto Giuseppetti ◽  
...  

AbstractMicrobiomes of freshwater basins intended for human use remain poorly studied, with very little known about the microbial response to in situ oil spills. Lake Pertusillo is an artificial freshwater reservoir in Basilicata, Italy, and serves as the primary source of drinking water for more than one and a half million people in the region. Notably, it is located in close proximity to one of the largest oil extraction plants in Europe. The lake suffered a major oil spill in 2017, where approximately 400 tons of crude oil spilled into the lake; importantly, the pollution event provided a rare opportunity to study how the lacustrine microbiome responds to petroleum hydrocarbon contamination. Water samples were collected from Lake Pertusillo 10 months prior to and 3 months after the accident. The presence of hydrocarbons was verified and the taxonomic and functional aspects of the lake microbiome were assessed. The analysis revealed specialized successional patterns of lake microbial communities that were potentially capable of degrading complex, recalcitrant hydrocarbons, including aromatic, chloroaromatic, nitroaromatic, and sulfur containing aromatic hydrocarbons. Our findings indicated that changes in the freshwater microbial community were associated with the oil pollution event, where microbial patterns identified in the lacustrine microbiome 3 months after the oil spill were representative of its hydrocarbonoclastic potential and may serve as effective proxies for lacustrine oil pollution.


2010 ◽  
Vol 1 (8) ◽  
pp. 45 ◽  
Author(s):  
R Mercogliano ◽  
A De Felice ◽  
C Chirollo ◽  
R Marrone ◽  
M Panzardi ◽  
...  

2000 ◽  
Vol 65 (2) ◽  
pp. 253-260 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. K. Sharma ◽  
S. D. Hicks ◽  
W. Rivera ◽  
F. G. Vazquez

1991 ◽  
Vol 245 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean Pera

ABSTRACTRed muds are waste materials obtained from the aluminium extraction industry. They consist mainly of clays, aluminium and iron hydrated oxides. Three muds were studied; they differed in chemical and mineralogical compositions. They were converted into reactive pozzolans by calcination in the temperature range 600–800°C for five hours. Pozzolanicity was investigated on calcined red mud-OPC mixes studying strength development and lime consumption as evaluated by DTA. The nature of hydrates formed during hardening was also identified.The mineralogical composition of the mud is the most important factor affecting its pozzolanicity. Blended cements containing 30% calcined red mud develop significant strengths.


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