Rapid and preferential dechlorination of the ortho chlorine from 2,6-, 2,4- and 2,3- dichlorophenol substrates was observed in semi-continuous cultures inoculated with 50% unacclimated anaerobic sludge. The rate of further dechlorination depended on the position of the second chlorine atom. The dechlorination rates for the second chlorine ranked ortho > para > meta. Complete mineralization to methane was only observed in cultures fed 2,6-dichlorophenol. Addition of activated carbon to the anaerobic cultures showed some benefit to the degradation process.
The analysis of hydrocarbon-contaminated soils from abandoned refinery sites in Alberta, Canada is used to illustrate a tiered analytical approach to the characterization of complex hydrocarbon wastes. Soil extracts isolated from heavy oil- and creosote-contaminated sites were characterized by thin layer chromatography with flame ionization detection (TLC-FID), ultraviolet fluorescence, simulated distillation (GC-SIMDIS) and chemical ionization GC-MS analysis. The combined screening and detailed analytical methods provided information essential to remedial technology selection including the extent of contamination, the class composition of soil extracts, the distillation profile of component classes and the distribution of individual class components within various waste fractions. Residual contamination was characteristic of heavy, degraded oils, consistent with documented site operations and length of hydrocarbon exposure at the soil surface.
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