HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Figures Only Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in ISI Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via ISI Web of Science (2) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Zheng, Z. Articles by Obbard, J. P. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Zheng, Z. Articles by Obbard, J. P. GeoRef GeoRef Citation Agricola Articles by Zheng, Z. Articles by Obbard, J. P. Related Collections Soil Microbiology Bioremediation and Biodegradation Organic Compounds Soil Pollution Water Pollution

TECHNICAL REPORTS
Bioremediation and Biodegradation

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Removal from Soil by Surfactant Solubilization and Phanerochaete chrysosporium Oxidation

Department of Chemical & Environmental Engineering, 4 Engineering Drive 4, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 129791

* Corresponding author (chejpo{at}nus.edu.sg)

Received for publication November 22, 2001. Surfactant soil washing can remove polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from contaminated soil, and the white rot fungus, Phanerochaete chrysosporium Burdsall in Burdsall & Eslyn, can oxidize PAHs. The objective of this study was to develop a novel bioremediation technology using a combination of abiological surfactant soil washing followed by PAH biological oxidation in soil washwater using P. chrysosporium in a rotating biological contactor (RBC) reactor. Soil used for experimentation was an 11-month aged contaminated soil spiked with a total of nine PAHs: acenaphthene, fluorene, phenanthrene, fluoranthene, pyrene, chrysene, benzo(a)pyrene, dibenz(ah)anthracene, and benzo(ghi)perylene. After 11 months of aging, recovery percentages of high molecular weight PAHs [i.e., from chrysene to benzo(ghi)perylene] were greater than 86%, while those of low molecular weight PAHs (i.e., from acenaphthene to pyrene) were less than 19%. Total removal efficiency for any of the nine PAHs was greater than 90% using a combination of surfactant soil washing and P. chrysosporium oxidation of soil washwater in the RBC reactor when used in batch operation, and greater than 76% when used in continuous operation. The treatment of PAH-contaminated soil using a combination of surfactant soil washing and subsequent PAH removal from the resultant washwater in an RBC reactor, in the presence of immobilized P. chrysosporium, permits (i) a rapid abiological cleanup of soil for compliance with relevant soil quality standards and (ii) PAH biological removal in soil washwater for compliance with aqueous discharge standards.

Abbreviations: PAH, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon • RBC, rotating biological contactor