Effect of electrokinetic transport on the vulnerability of PAH-degrading bacteria in a model aquifer

There has been increasing interest in employing electro-bioremediation, a hybrid technology of bioremediation and electrokinetics, to overcome the low bioavailability of hydrophobic organic contaminants (HOC) by homogenizing sorption-retarded HOC and immobilised microorganisms. Present electro-remediation approaches mainly aim at macroscale pollutant extraction and tend to neglect possible impacts of direct current (DC) on the physiology of microorganisms. The effect of weak electric fields (X = 1 V cm⁻¹) on the fitness of electrokinetically dispersed fluorene-degrading Sphingomonas sp. LB126 in bench-scale model aquifers was investigated by flow cytometry using propidium iodide (PI) as an indicator that distinguishes between PI-permeable (cells with porous membranes, i.e. dead or vulnerable) and PI-impermeable bacteria. After 15.5 h of DC treatment 56% of all cells recovered were dispersed at the centimetre scale relative to 29% in the absence of DC. There was no overall negative effect of the 15.5-h DC treatment on cell vulnerability, as 7.0% of the DC-treated bacteria exhibited PI-staining compared to 6.5% of the control population. Minor differences were observed in the subpopulation that had been mobilised by electroosmosis with an approximately twofold increase in the percentage of PI-stained cells relative to the control. Enhanced PI staining did not correlate with reduced culturability of the cells on rich-medium agar plates. Relative to the control, DC-treated cells mobilised by electroosmosis were threefold more culturable, confirming earlier data that that PI-cell membrane permeability does not always indicate reduced viability of oligotrophic environmental bacteria. Our findings suggest that electrokinetics is a valuable mechanism to transport viable and culturable polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH)-degrading bacteria in soil or sediments.     

Desorption characteristics of kaolin clay contaminated with zinc from electrokinetic soil processing

A number of bench scale laboratory column tests were carried out using a newly designed and developed electrokinetic cell to investigate the fundamental behavior of zinc-spiked kaolin clay subjected to an electric field. Laboratory investigations focused on (i) zinc migration by the combined effects of electromigration and electro-osmosis and (ii) the electrically induced desorption characteristics of zinc-contaminated kaolin that occurred during processing. The correlations of the applied voltage gradient, electro-osmotic flow rate, and the development of a pH gradient were examined and evaluated. The results showed that the removal efficiency was high during the early stage of processing due to rapid desorption by electrokinetic effects in the cathode region. However, the majority of zinc migrating from the anode was precipitated due to the high pH environment in the cathode region.     

Enhanced remediation of Cr（Ⅵ）-contaminated groundwater by coupling electrokinetics with ZVI/Fe3O4/AC-based permeable reactive barrier

Although widely used in permeation reaction barrier（PRB） for strengthening the removal of various heavy metals, zero-valent iron（ZVI） is limited by various inherent drawbacks, such as easy passivation and poor electron transfer. As a solution, a synergistic system with PRB and electrokinetics（PRB-EK） was established and applied for the efficient removal of Cr（Ⅵ）-contaminated groundwater. As the filling material of PRB, ZVI/Fe₃O₄/activated carbon（ZVI/Fe₃O₄     

A review of electrokinetically enhanced bioremediation technologies for PHs

Since the early 1980’s there have been several different strategies designed and applied to the remediation of subsurface environment including physical, chemical and biological approaches. They have had varying degrees of success in remediating contaminants from subsurface soils and groundwater. The objective of this review is to examine the range of technologies for the remediation of contaminants, particularly petroleum hydrocarbons, in subsurfaces with a specific focus on bioremediation and electrokinetic remediation. Further, this review examines the efficiency of remediation carried out by combining bioremediation and electrokinetic remediation. Surfactants, which are slowly becoming the selected chemicals for mobilizing contaminants, are also considered in this review. The current knowledge gaps of these technologies and techniques identified which could lead to development of more efficient ways of utilizing these technologies or development of a completely new technology.     

电动力学技术强化原位生物修复研究进展

介绍了利用电动力学技术强化土壤及地下水原位生物修复的原理和最新进展。电动力学强化的基本原理是利用电渗析、电迁移和电泳等电动力学效应加速污染环境中有机污染物和微生物运动,注入营养物、电子受体或活性微生物,或者利用电极反应和电流热效应为地下生物降解创造有利条件。研究表明．电动力学技术能有效地强化原位生物修复,而且该技术不破环生态环境．安装和操作简单,成本低廉．有广泛的应用前景。     

Geochemical assessment of metal transport in glacial till during electrokinetic remediation

This paper presents the chemical speciation and retention behavior of chromium (Cr), nickel (Ni), and cadmium (Cd) prior to and after the electrokinetic remediation in glacial till soil. The speciation of the metals was predicted using the chemical speciation program MINEQL⁺. The simulations were performed for single-contaminant with only Cr(VI) or Ni, and multi-contaminants consisting of: (1) Cr(VI), Ni, and Cd; (2) Cr(III), Ni and Cd; (3) Cr(VI), Cr(III), Ni and Cd; (4) Cr(VI), Ni, and Cd with reducing agents; and (5) Cr(III), Ni, and Cd with oxidizing agent (Mn). The results showed that the speciation and distribution of cationic metals [Ni, Cd, and Cr(III)] in glacial till soil remain unaffected or slightly affected during electrokinetics. This is attributed to the high pH buffering capacity of the glacial till, leading the metals to precipitate in the soil prior to and after electrokinetics. This study showed that during electrokinetics, Cr(VI) existed as anionic complex and migrated towards the anode and the migration is maximum in case of a single-contaminant system. The study also showed that near the anode in the absence of any reducing and oxidizing agent, Cr(VI) mostly adsorbed, and some of Cr(VI) reduced to Cr(III) and migrated towards the cathode and finally precipitated due to high pH conditions. Ni and Cd remain adsorbed or precipitated due to the high pH conditions throughout the soil. Among the reducing agents, the sulfide had significant effect on the migration of metals compared to ferrous ions. While in the presence of oxidizing agent (Mn), no noticeable Cr(VI) was found in the soil sample indicating the reduction of Cr(VI) to Cr(III) and the predominance of reducing conditions due to the presence of naturally occurring iron in the glacial till soil. Overall, this study provides a reasonable explanation of the speciation and distribution of chromium, nickel and cadmium during the electrokinetic remediation of glacial till soil.     

苯酚污染土壤的电动力学修复技术研究

电动力学技术是正在发展中的土壤修复技术,具有诸多优点,之一是不破坏原有自然环境。通过小型实验研究了土壤中苯酚在电动力学作用下的迁移特征以及添加表面活性剂LAS对苯酚去除效率的影响。结果表明：①电动力学作用可有效地促使苯酚解吸附和迁移,其迁移效果与土壤酸碱性质、污染物类型和表面活性剂浓度等密切相关,不同通电时间,迁移方向有所不同;②添加LAS能提高苯酚的去除效率,当LAS浓度为0．046mol／L时,苯酚的去除效果最佳,去除率达到91．16％。采用适当的电动力学工艺可修复受苯酚污染的土壤。