Author(s)

L. Yang & C. T. Pan

Abstract

Laboratory simulation of clean-up of oil spills on sandy beach by land farming and bioaugmentation technique L. Yang & C. T. Pan Department of Marine Environment and Engineering, National Sun Yat-sen University, Taiwan Abstract Bioremediation has been recognized to be a safe and economical technique to treat the oil spills into the marine or coastal environment. Using oil degradation bacteria to treat oil spills is the safest way for the treatment of the oil spills on beach, which would not produce any secondary pollution problem. Land farming technique has been demonstrated able to improve the oxygen supplement in bioremediation of oil spill on sandy beach. In addition, bioaugmentation technique is found helpful to biodegrade the recalcitrant parts (PAHs) of oil spills. Thus, the purpose of this research is to study the treatment efficiencies of the sandy beaches contaminated by crude oil through the techniques of land farming and bioaugmentation. In this study, two basins made of glass (100x60x50cm) were designed and filled up with the sand. Seawater was pumped from a tank in order to simulate tide cycles (4 tide cycles per 24 hours). Both basins were added with oleophilic fertilizers and aerated by using the land farming technique for oxygen supply, while one basin was applied with the inoculum of microorganisms and the other one was not. The efficiencies of oil degradation were learned by Gas Chromatogram and oil residue weight. Approximately after 30 days following oleophilic fertilizer application, 50% by weight of the oil could be reduced. We also found that the application of inoculum could increase the rate of biodegradation of crude oil (the biodegrading rate is 0.32g oil/day-Kg dry sands) about 1.6 times for the absence of inoculum. PAHs were also found able to be biodegraded by the inoculum.

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