Estimation of bioavailability of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in river sediments

This study aimed to evaluate the total concentration of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in sediments of Iguassu River in Southern Brazil. Alongside the concentration, the amount of such compounds bioavailable was also evaluated. This is accomplished by comparing its total amount present in sediments and the amount extracted by n-butanol. The results showed that the total concentration of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons presented in sediment ranged from 4.49 to 58.75???g/g. The total amount of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons extracted by n-butanol ranged from 1.22 to 17.07???g/g. The use of n-butanol represents the mimetic conditions that hydrocarbons, derived from oil, could be taken up by organisms. Most of the hydrocarbons extracted by n-butanol were those with lower octanol?Cwater partition constant, usually those with three and four rings. Compounds with more than four rings were extracted in lower or insignificant amounts. Even the hydrocarbons with lower molecular weight available may be degraded or eliminated by organisms, when accumulated. Estimating bioavailability of hydrocarbons represents what specific hydrocarbons could be available to be taken up by organisms.     

Distribution behavior of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in roadside soil at traffic intercepts within developing cities

A study of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons pollution in roadside soil was conducted in developing city environment of northern India during autumn and winter season to ascertain the contamination levels and their distribution behavior in soil. The concentration of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons was determined at ten locations of Jalandhar city, Punjab in India at 1, 2 and 3 m distances from roadside in soil covering all the major traffic intercepts within city. The samples were extracted in acetone and dichloromethane (1:1) using soxhlet extraction. The extracts were then filtered on a silica gel micro column to remove impurities and elute was subjected to GC-FID. The total average concentration (city average) was found to be 4.04 ?g/g and 16.38 ?g/g during winter and autumn respectively. DiBenzo (ah) Anthracene and Benzo (a) Pyrene were the individual polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons found in highest concentration at all the intercepts ranging between 0.008 to 28.4 ?g/g during winter and 0.01 to 252.55 ?g/g during autumn. Average concentration of non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons during winter and autumn was found to be 2.1 and 6.4 and 4.74 and 35.08 ?g/g respectively. The average ratio of non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons was found to be 1:3 during winter, and 1:7.6 during autumn at most of the intercepts. Total carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons concentration was found quite high (80 %) in comparison to non-carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (20 %) at most of the intercepts.     

Molecular characterization of phenanthrene-degrading methanogenic communities in leachate-contaminated aquifer sediment

The existence of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the various environments has aroused great environmental concerns due to their potential hazards to human health. The presence of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in aquifer is particularly sensitive where groundwater is used as a source of potable water. Anaerobic biodegradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons is an attractive option for remediation of contaminated aquifer sediment. Bacterial and archaeal community structures of phenanthrene-degrading aquifer sediment under methanogenic condition were investigated using clone library analysis in combination with microcosm study. The bacterial members were all affiliated with ??-Proteobacteria. Phylum Euryarchaeota was the predominant archaeal group, represented by genera Methanosarcina, Methanobacterium and Thermogymnomonas. Both bacteria (genera Citrobacter and Pseudomonas) and archaea (genus Methanosarcina) might have links to phenanthrene degradation process. This work might provide some new insights into developing strategies for the isolation of the putative polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons degraders under methanogenic condition and bioremediating polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in leachate-contaminated aquifer sediment.     

Solvent–water extraction method for the evaluation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons bioavailability in coal–tar-contaminated soils

A solvent–water extraction method was proposed as an assessment tool to estimate the bioavailability of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in coal–tar-contaminated soils. The approach taken was to measure the percent of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons extracted by a solvent–water mixture and comparing the results with the percent of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons degraded in a soil slurry reactor. Five soil samples from three former manufactured gas plant sites and a coal–tar disposal site which were operated between 1880 and 1947, and 1945 and 1950, respectively, in Iowa, USA were used in this study. Extraction experiments were conducted using acetone–water or ethanol–water mixtures with solvent volume fractions ranging from 1.0 to 0.4 (v/v). The percent of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons extracted from the various soils decreased as the volume fraction of the solvent in the solvent–water mixture was reduced. An acetone–water mixture of 0.6 was found to be appropriate in correlating the percent of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons degraded to the percent of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons extracted. For the first correlation, the percent extracted and the percent biodegraded were modified by using the molecular weights and log K _ow of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, respectively. For the second correlation, the equation relating the percent extracted and the percent biodegraded was modified using soil properties such as organic carbon content and percent of clay and silt. Although the experiments were conducted for a limited number of soils, the extraction method appeared to be a good starting point in estimating the bioavailability of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in coal–tar-contaminated soils.     

Microbial community changes in contaminated soils in response to phenanthrene amendment

Leachate and reclaimed wastewater have become the important sources of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in soils. However, the information on bioremediation of leachate and reclaimed wastewater-contaminated soils is still lacking. Identification of changes in microbial structure or of enriched genera related to biodegradation could aid identification of particular organisms or consortia capable of degrading polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in these contaminated soils. In this study, terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism, coupled with 16S Ribosomal ribonucleic acid clone library analysis, was applied to investigate the composition of bacterial community in leachate-contaminated soil or grassland soil irrigated reclaimed wastewater and the response to phenanthrene amendment. Results showed that phenanthrene amendment had significant but different impacts on microbial community structure, dependent on soil source. Several greatly enriched terminal restriction fragments with phenanthrene biodegradation were identified. Moreover, genus rhizobacteria, possibly linked to phenanthrene biodegradation, was firstly reported in this study. This work might provide some new insights into bioremediation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons-contaminated soils.     

Population structures shift during the biodegradation of crude and fuel oil by an indigenous consortium

Petroleum and fuel oil are complex mixtures of recalcitrant hydrocarbons. The biodegradation of these hydrocarbons needs the action of a vast variety of enzymatic capacities. A microbial consortium offers the capability to degrade complex substrates through the assembly of different biochemical reactions, providing a metabolic versatility superior to axenic cultures. In this work, the microbial population dynamics, taxonomy, and the catabolic capacity of a stabilized consortium exposed to fuel and crude oil was analyzed through metagenomics. The stabilized consortium degraded 59% of crude oil components after 8 days, and 34% of fuel oil components after 130 days. Population dynamics analysis indicates that in fuel oil the biodiversity richness was higher; however, denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis similarity dendrogram shows significant changes in the microbial population during crude oil degradation. Taxonomy studies indicate a great genera divergence; only eight microbial genera were common in both samples. In crude oil, the Limnobacter sp. was the most abundant specie (15.6%), while Sphingomonas wittichii (7.9%) and Novosphingobium aromaticivorans (7.6%) were abundant in fuel oil. These microorganisms have been reported to participate in the degradation of aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons. Functional analysis suggests that fuel and crude oil components changed the interactions between the consortium members affecting the collective metabolic functionality.     

高效耐盐碱石油烃降解菌筛选及降解特性研究

为探究长庆油田污染土壤中微生物对石油的降解特性,在该油田多个油井附近采集了10处含油污染土壤进行石油烃降解菌的筛选、分离及降解实验。通过对筛选出的四株石油烃降解菌株5-5、5-X、9-2、10-3进行革兰氏染色、菌落形态观察、生化理化试验及16S rDNA测序,鉴定出这四株菌株分别为醋酸钙不动杆菌（Acinetobacter calcoaceticus）、不动杆菌（Acinetobacter sp.）、蒙氏假单胞菌（Pseudomonas monteilii）和乳酸不动杆菌（Acinetobacter lactucae）。14 d降解实验结果显示,这四种菌株对总石油烃的降解率分别为50.92%、51.27%、78.30%和44.39%;尤其菌株Pseudomonas sp.9-2表现出优异的降解性能,且对不同组分石油烃（正构烷烃、异构烷烃及芳烃）的降解率分别达到了94.65%、69.73%和59.07%,对长链正构烷烃也体现出了较好的降解性能。另外,抗逆性试验结果表明菌株Pseudomonas sp.9-2对pH和盐度的耐受范围分别为5.0~10.0、0.5%~6.0%,表明该菌株对盐碱环境具有较好的适应性,可用于盐碱石油污染土壤的微生物修复研究。     

Enhanced biodegradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons using nonionic surfactants in soil slurry

The effect of nonionic surfactants on the solubility and biodegradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the aqueous phase and in the soil slurry phase, as well as the fate of these surfactants, were investigated. The PAH solubility was linearly proportional to the surfactant concentration when above the critical micelle concentration (CMC), and increased as the hydrophile–lipophile balance (HLB) value decreased. Substantial amounts of the sorbed phenanthrene in the soil particles were desorbed by non-ionic surfactants into the liquid phase when the ratio of soil to water was 1:10 (g/ml). Brij 30 was the most biodegradable surfactant tested, showed no substrate inhibition up to a concentration of 1.5 g/l, and was definitely used as a C source by the bacteria. Naphthalene and phenanthrene were completely degraded by phenanthrene-acclimatised cultures within 60 h, but a substantial amount of naphthalene was lost due to volatilization. The limiting step in the soil slurry bioremediation was bioavailability by the micro-organisms for the sand slurry and mass transfer from a solid to aqueous phase in the clay slurry.     

Impact of coal tar pavement on polycyclic hydrocarbon distribution in lacustrine sediments from non-traditional sources

The evaluation of potential environmental impacts from polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon is a subject that requires investigation, especially related to emission sources from highway roads with high traffic. In this paper, the distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons was investigated in the surface sediments from a subtropical lake, located in the south of Brazil and away from urban areas. The results showed that all sediments presented such compounds in significant concentration, ranging from 9.50 to 29.88???g/g. The highest total concentration was found in those sites close to the highway (bridges) and the deepest area of the lake. Moreover, a high concentration of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons of high molecular weight, such as benzo(a)anthracene and dibenzo(a,h)anthracene was found. It was laso found that high concentrations might be related to asphalt and coal tar pavement used in the highway construction close to the lake. In addition, the potential capacity of sediment toxicity was compared with values of the interim sediment quality guidelines values. The results indicate that most of the sediment presents concentrations of hydrocarbons above these limits. Only fluoranthene and chrysene were found in concentrations below the guideline values. The concentrations of most of the polycyclic hydrocarbons are higher than the quality guidelines. However, the main concern is associated with the presence of benzo(a)anthracene whose concentration is 416 times higher than the limit establisehed by guidelines. The same observation can be done to traces of benzo(a)pyrene and dibenz(a,h)anthracene, with concentration values of 13 and 1,993 times higher.     

Levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and polychlorinated biphenyls in sediment of bitumen deposit impacted area

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and polychlorinated biphenyls were investigated in sediment of bitumen deposit impacted area of Agbabu, Nigeria, to determine the present level of contamination with these toxic compounds prior to exploitation. Samples were collected during the dry season (March) and the wet season (August) of year 2008. Analysis was carried out with gas chromatography using mass spectrometry detector for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and flame ionization detector for polychlorinated biphenyls. In the dry season sum of concentration of PAHs ranged from zero to 0.12 ± 0.06 ppm, while in the wet season the minimum was 0.18 ± 0.07 ppm and the maximum was 1.04 ± 0.16 ppm. Most of these values were higher than sum of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons concentrations of 1–10 μg/kg indicating that they were likely to come from anthropogenic sources. Average concentrations of PAHs such as naphthalene and benzo (a) pyrene obtained in sediment in the wet season in some of the stations were higher than recommended limits. The linear regression analysis between sum of concentrations and percentage organic carbon showed no significant correlation in sediment in the dry season (r² = 0.0025) and in the wet season (r² = 0.1345). The predominance of 4–6 ringed polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and the ratios between pairs of individual polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons showed that they are likely to have come from pyrolytic sources. No polychlorinated biphenyl congener was detected in the samples.     

Isolation and characterization of a novel native Bacillus strain capable of degrading diesel fuel

The ability of native bacteria to utilize diesel fuel as the sole carbon and energy source was investigated in this research. Ten bacterial strains were isolated from the oil refinery field in Tehran, Iran. Two biodegradation experiments were performed in low and high (500 and 10000 ppm, respectively) concentration of diesel fuel for 15 days. Only two isolates were able to efficiently degrade the petroleum hydrocarbons in the first test and degraded 86.67% and, 80.60 % of diesel fuel, respectively. The secondary experiment was performed to investigate the toxicity effect of diesel fuel at high concentration (10000 ppm). Only one strain was capable to degrade 85.20 % of diesel fuel at the same time (15 days). Phenotype and phylogeny analysis of this strain was characterized and identified as diesel-degrading bacteria, based on gram staining, biochemical tests, 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis. These results indicate that this new strain was Bacillus sp. and could be considered as Bacillus Cereus with 98 % 16 S rRNA gene sequence similarity. The results indicate that native strains have great potential for in situ remediation of diesel-contaminated soils in oil refinery sites.     

Study of the origin of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in water of Lake Baikal

Doklady Earth Sciences - The concentration of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the water of Lake Baikal is estimated. The published data on the composition of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in...     

N-Alkanes and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) profile of soil from some polluted sites in Niger Delta, Nigeria

Soil samples were collected at different locations from Etche and Obio Akpor local government area (LGA) of River State in Niger Delta. The n-alkane and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were determined qualitatively and quantitatively using GC-FID. The concentration of PAHs in the soil samples ranged from 7.40 to 78.3 ng/g. The highest concentration of PAHs was recorded in Agbada 1 flow station, while the lowest concentration was recorded in Agbada 2 flow station. A significant level of pollution was also observed in the soil of Bomu pipeline at Obio Akpor LGA. Also, the distribution of n-alkanes in the samples was also used to assess the level of pollution in the studied area. Various n-alkanes and PAHs ratios were obtained to know the major source of pollution in the area under study. The main source of pollution was pyrolytic, which might be due to the gas flaring activities going on in the study area. Also, the results showed that n-alkanes could also be a complementary tool in assessing pollution and source apportionment.     

Results of multiyear studies on the dynamics of pollution of lake Baikal by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the area waste water discharge from the Baikal Pulp and Paper Plant

New data on the concentration and spatial distribution of the benz(a)pyrene and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in bottom sediments in the testing area of the Baikal Pulp and Paper Plant (BPPP) waste water discharge in 1981–1988 and 2010 are presented in this paper. The bottom sediments in this section of the lake are strongly polluted with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.     

拉萨市拉鲁湿地多环芳烃污染及其来源

通过分析采集的土壤、沉积物和大气样品,对拉萨郊区的拉鲁湿地多环芳烃污染及其来源进行了初步研究.湿地表层土壤中16种多环芳烃的平均含量的总含量为82.45×10^-9,既存在低环数的多环芳烃,又含有高环数的多环芳烃;湿地土壤中的多环芳烃主要来自于大气.     

Organic-Inorganic Interaction Recorded by Polycyclic Aromatic Steranes in Continental Epithermal Ore Deposits

Continental epithermal ore deposits are commonly associated with sedimentary organic matter, oils or solid bitumen. These organics embedded in mineral deposits can convey valuable information of the ore genesis. However, the extent to which the formation of ore minerals was recorded by organic compounds remains largely unknown, as also is how metal-rich ores interfere with the molecular proxies in the temperature regime envisaged for hydrothermal activity. The molecular compositional changes of ...     

Evaluation of hydrocarbon pollution in marine sediments of Sfax coastal areas from the Gabes Gulf of Tunisia,Mediterranean Sea

The Tunisian environmental legislation that follows the EC Directives requires monitoring of persistent, toxic and bio-accumulated substances commonly considered as hazardous substances. In order to comply with this requirement, samples of sea water, sediment and biota from the urbanized and industrialized coast line of Sfax city are investigated. This study presents the results of petroleum hydrocarbon content, distribution and probable origin (anthropogenic and/or biogenic) in 16 intertidal sediments of Sfax coastal area. Alkane distribution indices and hydrocarbon distribution patterns are used to identify natural and anthropogenic input. Non-aromatic hydrocarbons present a high concentration with a range varying from 180 to 1,400 μg/g of dry sediment. The total concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) varied from 0.41 to 5.6 μg/g dry weight. These concentrations are comparable to other marine areas that receive important inputs. n-Alkanes with carbon number ranging from 15 to 35 are identified to be derived from both biogenic and anthropogenic sources in varying proportions. Pristane/phytane ratio shows values lower than 1.4 suggesting the presence of petroleum contamination. This is confirmed by the presence of a large group of unresolved complex mixture and the identification of hopanes with predominant C29 and C30 compounds and steranes with predominance of C27 over C28 and C29 compounds. Ratios of selected PAH concentrations indicate petrogenic and pyrolytic origin of hydrocarbons. Anthropogenic hydrocarbon inputs were more apparent at sites associated with industrial discharges, shipping activities and sewage outfalls.     

Evidence for in situ methanogenic oil degradation in the Dagang oil field

In situ biotransformation of oil to methane was investigated in a reservoir in Dagang, China using chemical fingerprinting, isotopic analyzes and molecular and biological methods. The reservoir is highly methanogenic despite chemical indications of advanced oil degradation, such as depletion of n-alkanes, alkylbenzenes and light polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) fractions or changes in the distribution of several alkylated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. The degree of degradation strongly varied between different parts of the reservoir, ranging from severely degraded to nearly undegraded oil compositions. Geochemical data from oil, water and gas samples taken from the reservoir are consistent with in situ biogenic methane production linked to aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbon degradation. Microcosms were inoculated with production and injection waters in order to characterize these processes in vitro. Subsequent degradation experiments revealed that autochthonous microbiota are capable of producing methane from ¹³C labelled n-hexadecane or 2-methylnaphthalene and suggest that further methanogenesis may occur from the aromatic and polyaromatic fractions of Dagang reservoir fluids. The microbial communities from produced oil–water samples were composed of high numbers of microorganisms (on the order to 10⁷), including methane producing Archaea within the same order of magnitude. In summary, the investigated sections of the Dagang reservoir may have significant potential for testing the viability of in situ conversion of oil to methane as an enhanced recovery method and biodegradation of the aromatic fractions of the oil may be an important methane source.     

稠环芳烃和多环芳烃成因模拟

通过模拟实验发现:硫与β-胡萝卜素反应可以形成稠环芳烃,硫或氧与联苯反应可以形成多种多环芳烃。稠环芳烃主要是以一个合适的分子为基础发展形成的,多环芳烃也可以由一个分子转化形成,但主要是两个或两个以上联苯等化合物分子连接起来而成。     

Perylene dominance in sediments from a subtropical high mountain lake

Perylene formation in sediments of water bodies has been a topic of continual discussion and debate. We report the concentration and age (ca. 660 yr) profiles of perylene and other polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in a sediment core from Emerald Peak Lake, the largest high mountain lake in Taiwan. Perylene is dominant at all depths of the sediment (ranging from 60% to 98% of total PAHs), a feature not commonly found in other sediments. The concentration profile of perylene with sediment age fits a first order kinetic model, which might be an indication of a steady sedimentary environment.