CUNNINGHAM, S.L.*; MARIS, R.C.: The Employment of Mini-Biocells for the Bioremediation of Petroleum-Contaminated Soil over a Two-Week Period

The potential of petroleum spills possesses a significant threat to the natural environment. Such eminences have prompted the necessity for alternative methods of contaminated soil treatment. Studies at Mansfield University, over the last seven years, have centered around the breakdown of toxins by naturally-occurring microbes, or bioremediation. Investigations have utilized bacterial growth studies with drying and organic ashing in soil excavated from petroleum spills, and in artificially-maintained internal biocells. The present study has employed the use of mini-biocells. Six mini-biocells (31 x 17 x 9 cm) were each filled with 1275 g of soil. These biocells were designated into two groups, open or closed, with control, gasoline, and diesel components. The petroleum-containing units were contaminated with 350 ml of the corresponding fuel. Daily samples were taken over a two week period to examine immediate effects of contamination on the soil ecosystem. Losses due to evaporation were monitored using the open and closed configurations. Obvious changes occurred in the gasoline biocells, unlike the diesel biocells which changed little due to the enhanced complexity. Bioremediation has shown to be a viable potential in the clean-up of petroleum-contaminated soil.