Ecotoxicological and analytical assessment of effects of bioremediation on hydrocarbon‐containing soils

Abstract

Abstract-Ecotoxicological assessments of contaminated soils require an understanding of the impact of chemicals on the terrestrial ecosystem. Eight hydrocarbon-containing field soils were evaluated using physical-chemical, hydrocarbon, and ecotoxicological assays during 11 to 13 months of laboratory bioremediation. Ecotoxicity tests included earthworm (Eisenia fetida) 14-d survival and reproduction assays and seed germination and root length assays using corn, lettuce, mustard, and wheat seeds. During bioremediation, freon-extractable total petroleum hydrocarbon decreased by 26 to 84%, depending on the soil. In most soils, earthworm survival increased to or remained at 100% following bioremediation. Earthworm reproduction increased or remained the same relative to control soils. Lettuce and mustard seed germination increased following bioremediation except in two soils with high salt concentrations. Corn and wheat germination was high on most soils and did not change following bioremediation. Root length responses varied among seeds and soils, increasing in some soils and remaining unchanged in others. The responses of organisms to hydrocarbon-containing field soils directionally improved with bioremediation.

Toxicity of diesel contaminated soils to the subantarctic earthworm Microscolex macquariensis

“…Earthworms are universally recognized as indicators of soil quality and are used extensively worldwide to assess the toxicity of contaminated soils [18][19][20][21][22][23][24]. Standard toxicity tests have been developed by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) for the earthworms Eisenia fetida and Eisenia andrei [25][26][27].…”

Ecotoxicity assessment of aged petroleum sludge using a suite of effects-based end points in earthworm Eisenia fetida

“…Historically, the production, storage, refining, and transportation of oil have resulted in soil contamination with petroleum hydrocarbons (Saterbak et al 2000). China was the second consumer of crude oil in the world, and every year more than 600,000 t of oil was discharged into the environment in the process of production and usage of petroleum products, which caused serious contamination of soil, groundwater, and surface water (Leng et al 2006).…”

“…However, it was intensely argued that chemical data alone were not sufficient to evaluate the biological effects since reductions of target contaminant concentrations were not always indicative of decreased soil toxicity (Dorn and Salanitro 2000;Phillips et al 2000;Vaajasaari et al 2002;Al-Mutairi et al 2008). Therefore, a combination of chemical analysis for target contaminant levels and toxicity testing was recommended for monitoring contamination and the progress of soil remediation at contaminated sites (Saterbak et al 2000;Plaza et al 2005;Dawson et al 2007). …”

“…Earthworms, especially the standard species Eisenia fetida, had been frequently used to assess toxicity of petroleum-hydrocarbon-contaminated soils through acute and subchronic toxicity tests (Salanitro et al 1997;Shin and Kim 2001;ShakirHanna and Weaver 2002;Dawson et al 2007). Earthworms were demonstrated to be sensitive (Dorn et al 1998;Dorn and Salanitro 2000), and a number of end points had been proposed as sensitive indicators for determining potential ecological risks at petroleum-hydrocarbon-contaminated sites (Saterbak et al 2000;Shakir-Hanna and Weaver 2002;Booth et al 2005).…”

Phytotoxicity tests of solid wastes and contaminated soils in the Czech Republic

“…Contrary to this kind integrated approach, simple chemical analyses are only focused on a selected compound and correlated to analytical tools applied. The phytotoxicity bioassays are very useful for the characterization of solid wastes, e.g., the determination of which solid wastes can be landfilled and/or for the evaluation of the efficiency of decontamination technologies (Molina-Barahona et al 2005;Plaza et al 2005;Saterbak et al 2000;van Gestel et al 2001). Generally, two groups of phytotoxicity procedures can be selected-toxicity testing of elutriates and/or the direct toxicity testing of solid samples.…”