Effect of environmental factors on the effectiveness of ammoniated bagasse in wicking oil from contaminated wetlands

Ammoniated bagasse is a plant-derived organic sorbent that can be used for capturing oil and for supplying slow-release nutrients to oil-degrading microorganisms. We investigated the oil-wicking behavior of this sorbent under various conditions for its effectiveness in remediating oil-contaminated wetlands. Abiotic microcosms simulating a wetland environment were used to assess the influence of sand particle sizes (20× 30 and 60× 80 U.S. mesh), degrees of oil saturation (25% and 75%), water table levels (on top of the clean sand layer, oiled-sand layer, and sorbent layer), and the presence of sorbent. Results indicated that oil wicking favors higher oil contamination, larger sand particle size, and low water coverage. Water coverage was the predominant factor limiting the effectiveness of sorbent. The most plausible explanation for this limitation was that sorbent captured more water than oil at higher water coverage.