Abstract:
A six month field scale study was carried out to compare windrow turning and
biopile techniques for the remediation of soil contaminated with bunker C fuel
oil. End-point clean-up targets were defined by human risk assessment and
ecotoxicological hazard assessment approaches. Replicate windrows and biopiles
were amended with either nutrients and inocula, nutrients alone or no amendment.
In addition to fractionated hydrocarbon analysis, culturable microbial
characterisation and soil ecotoxicological assays were performed. This
particular soil, heavy in texture and historically contaminated with bunker fuel
was more effectively remediated by windrowing, but coarser textures may be more
amendable to biopiling. This trial reveals the benefit of developing risk and
hazard based approaches in defining end-point bioremediation of heavy
hydrocarbons when engineered biopile or windrow are proposed as treatment
option. (c) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
