In situ degradation of oil in a soil of the boreal region of the Northwest Territories.
Replicate field plots comprising a control; control plus oil; control plus oil and fertilizer (urea phosphate, 27:27:0); control plus oil and bacteria; and control plus oil, fertilizer, and bacteria were established at Norman Wells, N.W.T., Canada. Plots were monitored over a 3-year period for changes in microbial numbers and the chemical composition of recovered oil. Where fertilizer was applied, there was a rapid increase in bacterial numbers, but no increase in fungal propagules. This was followed by a rapid disappearance of n-alkanes, isoprenoids, and a continuous loss in weight of saturate compounds in recovered oil. Changes in the content of asphaltenes, aromatics, and nitrogen-, sulphur-, and oxygen-containing fractions also are discussed. The seeding of oil-soaked plots with oil-degrading bacteria did not have any effect on the composition of recovered oil. Fertilized plots showed a more rapid rate of vegetation with cotton grass and Labrador tea being the dominant species in revegetation.
D001110:Arctic Regions; D001419:Bacteria / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D002170:Canada; D005308:Fertilizers; D005648:Fuel Oils; D005658:Fungi / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D006838:Hydrocarbons / Q000378:metabolism*; D010578:Petroleum; D063245:Plant Development; D012621:Seasons; D012988:Soil Microbiology
D005308:Fertilizers; D005648:Fuel Oils; D006838:Hydrocarbons; D010578:Petroleum