title: Soil microbial response to waste potassium silicate drilling fluid.
abstract: Potassium silicate drilling fluids (PSDF) are a waste product of the oil and gas industry with potential for use in land reclamation. Few studies have examined the influence of PSDF on abundance and composition of soil bacteria and fungi. Soils from three representative locations for PSDF application in Alberta, Canada, with clay loam, loam and sand textures were studied with applications of unused, used once and used twice PSDF. For all three soils, applying ≥40 m3/ha of used PSDF significantly affected the existing soil microbial flora. No microbiota was detected in unused PSDF without soil. Adding used PSDF to soil significantly increased total fungal and aerobic bacterial colony forming units in dilution plate counts, and anaerobic denitrifying bacteria numbers in serial growth experiments. Used PSDF altered bacterial and fungal colony forming unit ratios of all three soils.
authors.affiliation: Department of Renewable Resources, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2H1, Canada; School of Land Science and Technology, China University of Geosciences (Beijing), Beijing 100083, China. Electronic address: linjun@ualberta.ca.
authors.forename: Linjun
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yao
authors.affiliation: Department of Renewable Resources, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2H1, Canada.
authors.forename: M Anne
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Naeth
authors.affiliation: Department of Renewable Resources, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2H1, Canada.
authors.forename: Allen
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jobson
mesh_terms: D001419:Bacteria / Q000145:classification / Q000187:drug effects*; D005658:Fungi / Q000145:classification / Q000187:drug effects*; D007220:Industrial Waste / Q000032:analysis*; D011188:Potassium / Q000737:chemistry*; D017640:Silicates / Q000737:chemistry / Q000633:toxicity*; D012988:Soil Microbiology; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000737:chemistry / Q000633:toxicity
chemical_list: D007220:Industrial Waste; D017640:Silicates; D012989:Soil Pollutants; D011188:Potassium
keywords: Drilling waste; Microbiota; Potassium silicate drilling fluid; Soil