Geophysical Monitoring of Hydrocarbon Biodegradation in Highly Conductive Environments

Abstract

Natural attenuation is very often the remediation method of necessity, rather than choice, for beach environments impacted by offshore exploration/drilling accidents. Robust methods that can be efficiently utilized in difficult to access and ecologically sensitive areas are needed for the long-term monitoring of such degradation processes. A prime candidate for such a monitoring tool is the spectral induced polarization (SIP) method, a geophysical technique successfully used for characterization and monitoring of hydrocarbon degradation in freshwater environments. In this laboratory experiment the SIP method successfully monitored the natural degradation of beach sediments impacted by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Using the SIP, we were able to differentiate between biotic (e.g., microbial driven) and abiotic (e.g., dilution) degradation processes and infer degradation rates. To our knowledge this is the first effort to use the SIP method as a monitoring aid in high salinity environments.Plain Language Summary Offshore drilling/exploration accidents can result in the contamination of remote and ecologically sensitive areas. In most cases the only realistic remediation choice is natural degradation. In this paper we discuss the use of a noninvasive geophysical method, termed spectral induced polarization, as a monitoring tool of oil contamination degradation in brackish environments. The presented laboratory works supports the suitability of the method for monitoring not only the progress of degradation but also any microbial related degradation processes.

Preliminary assessment on the application of biochar and spectral‐induced polarization for wastewater treatment

“…Phase errors were less than 0.1 mrad, consistent with the SIP system [Portable SIP (PSIP) system (Ontash & Ermac, https://www.ontash.com/)] characteristics and columns optimized for SIP measurements (Ntarlagiannis, Yee and Slater ; Ntarlagiannis and Slater ; Kimak et al . ). All experiments were performed in a controlled laboratory environment, at a temperature of 23.5 ± 2°C.…”

Induced polarization applied to biogeophysics: recent advances and future prospects

“…; Kimak et al . ). One of the main reasons for the complex behaviour of the signature lies with the nature and the properties of hydrocarbons.…”

“…, ; Kimak et al . ), contaminant sequestration and/or immobilization and mineral precipitation. In the last decade, new areas have also emerged, such as calcite biomineralization or OM characterization in peatland studies.…”

“…; Kimak et al . ) have been identified. The next step should be to quantify these signals and try to deconvolute the spectral response of remediation processes in complex environments.…”

“…4; e.g. Atekwana and Slater 2009;Heenan et al 2013;Kimak et al 2019). Common applications of the IP method in biogeophysics linked with microbially mediated processes include hydrocarbon spill characterization and monitoring (e.g.…”