Bioavailability of sediment-sorbed fluorene

The bioavailability of sorbed organic chemicals is a major concern in the application of bioremediation processes to contaminated sediments. Sorption of pollutants may lead to the inability of microbes to come in contact with the compound. Studies presented herein investigate the biodegradation and desorption of fluorene, a 3 ringed polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH), in estuarine sediment-water slurries. Adsorption of fluorene to sediments with 1.4% organic carbon was characterized with a linear isotherm. Desorption was characterized through step-desorption tests and temporal-desorption tests. Step-desorption studies confirmed that desorption was completely reversible, and batch desorption tests confirmed that desorption rate was rapid. Fluorene biodegradation was confirmed with $\sp{14}$C mass balance experiments, and fluorene disappearance was monitored in both the sediment and aqueous phase. In biologically active systems, fluorene was rapidly degraded to levels below detection limits. These studies conclude that the rate of fluorene disappearance in biologically active systems is controlled by microbial degradation rates and is not limited by desorption.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science

Level thesis:degree_level

Masters

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Engineering

Grantor

Rice University

Year dc:date.issued

1996

Author dc:creator

• Chandra, Sirish Dandamudi

• Environmental engineering

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright is held by the author, unless otherwise indicated. Permission to reuse, publish, or reproduce the work beyond the bounds of fair use or other exemptions to copyright law must be obtained from the copyright holder.

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/1911/14070

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:repository.rice.edu:1911/14070