Composting crude oil-impacted soil: performance comparison with land treatment and soil productivity implications

摘要

A composting demonstration in a full-size windrow was conducted in 1997 using crude oil-affected soil to assess whether composting enhanced the extent of total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) removal relative to land treatment and whether composting restored vegetative capability to pre-impact levels. TPH and n-alkane data suggest that composting and land treatment were equally effective in removing crude oil constituents, though composting enhanced the extent of removal for n-alkanes smaller than n-C_(35·) δ~(13)C data provide compelling evidence of passive sequestration of crude oil into soil organic matter, but it does not appear that composting stimulated a significant amount of incremental binding. Composting restored soil productivity to pre-impact levels at residual [TPH] of 10,000mg/kg, well above Alberta's 1000mg/kg regulatory guideline. Simulated leachate concentrations satisfied surface runoff objectives throughout the trial, eliminating the need for a synthetic liner. Composting transformed crude oil-impacted soil into CCME unrestricted use compost justifying full-scale (5000m~3) implementation in 1998.