Anaerobic Treatment and Hydrocarbon Seepage Control Using Stream Morphology

摘要

The occurrence, containment, and treatment of hydrocarbon seeps along creeks and surface water bodies are problematic for both compliance and aesthetics reasons. Numerous controls and remedial alternatives can be evaluated and implemented but the actual long-term effectiveness and viability can be mixed. Many of the remediation techniques that utilize reagents where oxygen is introduced can be problematic due to rapid consumption of oxygen by reduced products of anaerobic metabolisms and the impact on iron in the water and soil. Problems with aerobic treatment have lead to the consideration and utilization of anaerobic treatment processes (Anderson and Lovely, 2000). Anaerobic treatment has found some success in the treatment of chlorinated compounds and, more recently, petroleum contamination in groundwater aquifers. In land treatment of hydrocarbon wastes, manure and other organic material such as straw and wood chips have been found to be beneficial in the biodegradation process. These two materials add air space and microbes resulting in a more porous material to enhance aerobic degradation process.