Hydrocarbon Bioremediation

With oil spills occurring worldwide, much media and practical attention has been given in recent years to the rapidly maturing field of hydrocarbon bioremediation, particularly with application to marine spills. Hydrocarbon contamination of soil and groundwater, although less visible, is even more widespread and has provided the background for the numerous studies presented in this book, in addition to those devoted to shoreline spills. Chapters address a wide variety of theory and practice and cover important subjects such as biofiltration, natural attenuation, surfactants, and the use of in situ bioventing compared to soil venting. This unique book represents the collective global experience of practitioners and researchers in North America, Europe, Africa, and Asia. It describes experiences in tying laboratory studies to field applications. Nowhere else can anyone involved in hydrocarbon bioremediation find more up-to-date, relevant information on field experience using the various techniques and combinations of techniques in remediating hydrocarbons by biological means.

This guide to bioremediation in cold regions is designed to aid environmental practitioners, industry, and regulators in the remediation of petroleum spills and contaminated sites in cold regions. Remediation design and technology used in temperate climates does not necessarily work in cold climates, and cleanup takes longer due to shorter treatment seasons, sub-freezing temperatures, ground freezing and thawing, and limited bioactivity. Environmental engineers and scientists from eight countries working in the polar regions combine their experiences and expertise with petroleum contamination to write this book. It contains in-depth discussions on regulations, freezing and frozen ground, identification and adaptations of cold-tolerant bacteria, contaminant transport in cold soils and permafrost, temperature effects on biodegradation, analytical methods, treatability studies, and nutritional requirements for bioremediation. Emphasis is given to practical and effective bioremediation methods for application in cold regions. Emerging technologies are also discussed.

This timely reference presents the state of the art of the emerging and rapidly changing field of bioremediation of chlorinated solvents, PCBs, and other chlorinated compounds, as well as PAHs, both in situ and on site. This landmark publication reports significant advances in bioremediation, with an emphasis on practical applications and state-of-the-art developments. Laboratory and field-oriented reviews are presented with the objective of tying treatability studies and recent laboratory developments to field applications. No other reference source gives you access to the most current techniques and methods for the bioremediation of chlorinated and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon compounds. This book represents the work of leading experts in the fields of in situ and on-site bioremediation from North America, Europe, and Asia. The chapters include current field applications and laboratory studies undertaken, in some cases, in countries with regulatory standards more stringent than those of the United States.

In Situ Bioreclamation: Applications and Investigations for Hydrocarbon and Contaminated Site Remediation is a collection of selected papers submitted by participants to the international symposium ""In Situ and On-Site Bioreclamation"", held in San Diego, California in March 1991. The book consists of articles, which represent a substantial technical contribution, and technical notes, and brief technology descriptions or reports of preliminary or less substantial studies that proposes and exposes various solutions for the biological treatment of contaminated soil, water, and gas. This volume is one of two that represent the most complete and up-to-date set of papers at the time. The book covers the most comprehensive collection of treatises that presents practices in the reversal of damages to the environment. Solutions vary from proven commercially available technologies for some applications, such as reactor treatment of petroleum hydrocarbons in aqueous steams, to fundamental research in others, such as genetic engineering to develop strains of biodegradable xenobiotics. Environmentalists, scientists, students of natural sciences, civil engineers, and those concerned with the preservation and restoration of nature will find this book invaluable.

The term “total petroleum hydrocarbons” (TPHs) is used for any mixture of several hundred hydrocarbons found in crude oil, and they represent the sum of volatile petroleum hydrocarbons and extractable petroleum hydrocarbons. The petrol-range organics include hydrocarbons from C6 to C10, while diesel-range organics are C10-C28 hydrocarbons. Environmental pollution by petroleum hydrocarbons is one of the major global concerns, particularly in oil-yielding countries. In fact, there are more than five million potentially contaminated areas worldwide that represent, in general, a lost economic opportunity and a threat to the health and well-being of humans and the environment. Petroleum-contaminated sites constitute almost one-third of the total sites polluted with chemicals around the globe. The land contamination caused by industrialization was recognized as early as the 1960s, but less than a tenth of potentially contaminated lands have been remediated due to the nature of the contamination, cost, technical impracticability, and insufficient land legislation and enforcement. This book is the first single source that provides comprehensive information on the different aspects of TPHs, such as sources and range of products, methods of analysis, fate and bioavailability, ecological implications including impact on human health, potential approaches for bioremediation such as risk-based remediation, and regulatory assessment procedures for TPH-contaminated sites. As such, it is a valuable resource for researchers, graduate students, technicians in the oil industry and remediation practitioners, as well as policy makers.

The book discusses ways to overcome the side effects of using hydrocarbon-based products as energy sources. Hydrocarbons produce raw crude oil waste of around 600,000 metric tons per annum, with a range of uncertainty of 200,000 metric tons per year. The various chapters in this book focus on approaches to reduce these wastes through the application of potential microbes, in a process called bioremediation. The book is a one-stop reference resource on the methods, mechanisms and application of the bio-composites, in the laboratory and field. Focusing on resolving a very pressing environmental issue, it not only provides details of existing challenges, but also offers deeper insights into the possibility of solving problems using hydrocarbon bioremediation.

This book details three main topics: the screening and characterization of hydrocarbons from air, soil and water; technologies in the biodegradation of hydrocarbons; and the bioconversion of hydrocarbons for biofuel/chemicals, as well as recent developments in the remediation of hydrocarbons and their environmental benefits. The first section focuses on screening methods, qualitative and quantitative analysis of hydrocarbons from soil, air and water environments, speciation of hydrocarbons, and natural bioremediation strategies in such environments. The second section examines technologies for removing hydrocarbon contaminants from various environments, especially advanced technologies for the removal of hydrocarbons and in-situ and ex-situ remediation strategies and problems, as well as concrete case studies. The last section, covering the bioconversion of hydrocarbons for biofuel/chemicals, highlights the biochemicals and bioproducts developed from hydrocarbons, with a particular focus on biochemical and chemical technologies used to produce biopolymers, biofuel precursors and commodity chemicals from hydrocarbons.

"This practical guide to bioremediation in cold regions is designed to aid environmental practitioners, industry, and regulators in the remediation of petroleum spills and contaminated sites in cold regions. Remediation design and technology used in temperate climates does not necessarily work in cold climates, and cleanup takes longer due to shorter treatment seasons, sub-freezing temperatures, ground freezing and thawing, and limited bioactivity. Environmental engineers and scientists from eight countries working in the polar regions combine their experiences and expertise with petroleum contamination to write this book. It contains in-depth discussions on regulations, freezing and frozen ground, identification and adaptations of cold-tolerant bacteria, contaminant transport in cold soils and permafrost, temperature effects on biodegradation, analytical methods, treatability studies, and nutritional requirements for bioremediation. Emphasis is given to practical and effective bioremediation methods for application in cold regions. Emerging technologies are also discussed."--Pub. desc.