Complex resistivity signatures of ethanol biodegradation in porous media
| Autor: | D. Dale Werkema, Dimitrios Ntarlagiannis, Lee Slater, Yves Robert Personna, Zoltan Szabo |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2013 |
| Předmět: |
chemistry.chemical_classification
Bacteria Ethanol Scanning electron microscope Analytical chemistry Acetates Biodegradation Conductivity Bacterial Physiological Phenomena Silicon Dioxide Biodegradation Environmental Hydrocarbon chemistry Electrical resistivity and conductivity Biofilms Electrochemistry Microscopy Electron Scanning Environmental Chemistry Environmental Pollutants Microbial biodegradation Porous medium Porosity Order of magnitude Water Science and Technology |
| Zdroj: | Journal of Contaminant Hydrology. 153:37-50 |
| ISSN: | 0169-7722 |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.jconhyd.2013.07.005 |
| Popis: | Numerous adverse effects are associated with the accidental release of ethanol (EtOH) and its persistence in the subsurface. Geophysical techniques may permit non-invasive, real time monitoring of microbial degradation of hydrocarbon. We performed complex resistivity (CR) measurements in conjunction with geochemical data analysis on three microbial-stimulated and two control columns to investigate changes in electrical properties during EtOH biodegradation processes in porous media. A Debye Decomposition approach was applied to determine the chargeability (m), normalized chargeability (mn) and time constant (τ) of the polarization magnitude and relaxation length scale as a function of time. The CR responses showed a clear distinction between the bioaugmented and control columns in terms of real (σ′) and imaginary (σ″) conductivity, phase (ϕ) and apparent formation factor (Fapp). Unlike the control columns, a substantial decrease in σ′ and increase in Fapp occurred at an early time (within 4 days) of the experiment for all three bioaugmented columns. The observed decrease in σ′ is opposite to previous studies on hydrocarbon biodegradation. These columns also exhibited increases in ϕ (up to ~ 9 mrad) and σ″ (up to two order of magnitude higher) 5 weeks after microbial inoculation. Variations in m and mn were consistent with temporal changes in ϕ and σ″ responses, respectively. Temporal geochemical changes and high resolution scanning electron microscopy imaging corroborated the CR findings, thus indicating the sensitivity of CR measurements to EtOH biodegradation processes. Our results offer insight into the potential application of CR measurements for long-term monitoring of biogeochemical and mineralogical changes during intrinsic and induced EtOH biodegradation in the subsurface. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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