Surface amination of activated carbon and petroleum coke for the removal of naphthenic acids and treatment of oil sands process-affected water (OSPW)

ABSTRACTThe development of biodegradation treatment processes for oil sands process-affected water (OSPW) has been progressing in recent years with the promising potential of biofilm reactors. Previously, the granular activated carbon (GAC) biofilm process was successfully employed for treatment of a large variety of recalcitrant organic compounds in domestic and industrial wastewaters. In this study, GAC biofilm microbial development and degradation efficiency were investigated for OSPW treatment by monitoring the biofilm growth on the GAC surface in raw and ozonated OSPW in batch bioreactors. The GAC biofilm community was characterized using a next-generation 16S rRNA gene pyrosequencing technique that revealed that the phylumProteobacteriawas dominant in both OSPW and biofilms, with further in-depth analysis showing higher abundances ofAlpha- andGammaproteobacteriasequences. Interestingly, many known polyaromatic hydrocarbon degraders, namely,Burkholderiales,Pseudomonadales,Bdellovibrionales, andSphingomonadales, were observed in the GAC biofilm. Ozonation decreased the microbial diversity in planktonic OSPW but increased the microbial diversity in the GAC biofilms. Quantitative real-time PCR revealed similar bacterial gene copy numbers (>109gene copies/g of GAC) for both raw and ozonated OSPW GAC biofilms. The observed rates of removal of naphthenic acids (NAs) over the 2-day experiments for the GAC biofilm treatments of raw and ozonated OSPW were 31% and 66%, respectively. Overall, a relatively low ozone dose (30 mg of O3/liter utilized) combined with GAC biofilm treatment significantly increased NA removal rates. The treatment of OSPW in bioreactors using GAC biofilms is a promising technology for the reduction of recalcitrant OSPW organic compounds.

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Bacterial diversity in petroleum coke based biofilters treating oil sands process water

The Science of The Total Environment ◽

10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.146742 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 782 ◽

pp. 146742

Author(s):

Muhammad Arslan ◽

Mohamed Gamal El-Din

Keyword(s):

Bacterial Diversity ◽

Petroleum Coke ◽

Oil Sands ◽

Process Water ◽

Oil Sands Process Water

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Adamantane Carboxylic Acids Demonstrate Mitochondrial Toxicity Consistent with Oil Sands-Derived Naphthenic Acids

Environmental Advances ◽

10.1016/j.envadv.2021.100092 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 100092

Author(s):

Kate I. Rundle ◽

Mahmoud S. Sharaf ◽

Don Stevens ◽

Collins Kamunde ◽

Michael R. Heuvel

Keyword(s):

Carboxylic Acids ◽

Oil Sands ◽

Naphthenic Acids ◽

Mitochondrial Toxicity

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Performance of ectomycorrhizal alders exposed to specific Canadian oil sands tailing stressors under in vivo bipartite symbiotic conditions

Canadian Journal of Microbiology ◽

10.1139/cjm-2015-0703 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 62 (7) ◽

pp. 543-549 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Martin Beaudoin-Nadeau ◽

André Gagné ◽

Cyntia Bissonnette ◽

Pier-Anne Bélanger ◽

J. André Fortin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Oil Sands ◽

Seedling Survival ◽

Naphthenic Acids ◽

Paxillus Involutus ◽

Alnus Incana ◽

In Vivo Selection ◽

Alnus Viridis ◽

Leaf Necrosis ◽

Different Strains

Canadian oil sands tailings are predominately sodic residues contaminated by hydrocarbons such as naphthenic acids. These conditions are harsh for plant development. In this study, we evaluated the effect of inoculating roots of Alnus viridis ssp. crispa and Alnus incana ssp. rugosa with ectomycorrhizal fungi in the presence of tailings compounds. Seedlings were inoculated with 7 different strains of Paxillus involutus and Alpova diplophloeus and were grown under different treatments of NaCl, Na2SO4, and naphthenic acids in a growth chamber. Afterwards, seedling survival, height, dry biomass, leaf necrosis, and root mycorrhization rate were measured. Paxillus involutus Mai was the most successful strain in enhancing alder survival, health, and growth. Seedlings inoculated with this strain displayed a 25% increase in survival rate, 2-fold greater biomass, and 2-fold less leaf necrosis compared with controls. Contrary to our expectations, A. diplophloeus was not as effective as P. involutus in improving seedling fitness, likely because it did not form ectomycorrhizae on roots of either alder species. High intraspecific variation characterized strains of P. involutus in their ability to stimulate alder height and growth and to minimize leaf necrosis. We conclude that in vivo selection under bipartite symbiotic conditions is essential to select effective strains that will be of use for the revegetation and reclamation of derelict lands.

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