• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.64-67
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• 2003

In order to identify the origin and nature of the spilled oil in the potential source, we analyzed the concentrations of specific fuel constituents in fuel standard and environmental samples. The ratios of pristane/phytane are virtually unaltered because these compounds have the same bolatility in environmental samples. These were useful to identify the source of the fuel oil and to assess the effect of microbial degradation and weathering of the fuel oil. We analyzed the ratios of pristane/phytane in neat white kerosene, boiler kerosene, JP-8 and diesel products from L and S gas station. The ratios of pristane/phytane in L-white kerosene and JP-8 was 3.10 $\pm$0.03 and 1.77 $\pm$ 0.01, respectively. Otherwise, the ratios of pristane/phytane in water phase after distribution of fuel oil and water was 2.97 $\pm$0.02 in case of white kerosene and 1.65 $\pm$ 0.02 in case of JP-8. It is apparent from the results that the ratios of pristane/phytane were as product-specific, especially between kerosene and JP-8, and therefore, can also be used for fuel type identification in free products and groundwater samples which were collected in monitoring wells.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.8-15
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• 2003

To evaluate the effects of slow release fertilizer and chemical dispersant on oil biodegradation, mesocosm studies were conducted on sand seashore. The rapid removal rates (85%) of aliphatic hydrocarbons and the simultaneous decreases of n-$C_{17}$/pristane (69%) and $n-C_{18}/phytane$ (61%) ratios by the addition of slow-release fertilizer (SRF) within 37 days of experiment indicated that SRF could enhance the oil degrading activity of indigenous microorganisms in sand mesocosm. Although the growth of heterotrophic bacteria and petroleumdegrading bacteria in the mesocosm treated with $Corexit 9527^{R}$ was stimulated, the biological oil removal based on the ratios of $Corexit 9527^{R}$ and $n-C_{18}/phytane$ was inhibited. Removal rates of aliphatic hydrocarbons (56%), and n-$C_{17}$/pristane (27%) and $n-C_{18}/phytane$ (17%) ratios by the addition of chemical dispersant $Corexit 9527^{R}$ were similar or lower than those values of control (50, 60, 46%), respectively. The biodegradation activity, however, when simultaneously treated with SRF and $Corexit 9527^{R}$, was not highly inhibited and even recovered after the elimination of chemical dispersant. From these results it could be concluded that the addition of SRF enhanced the oil removal rate in oligotrophic sand seashore and chemical dispersant possibly inhibit the oil biodegradation. Hence, in order to prevent the unrestrained usage of chemical dispersant in natural environments contaminated with oil, the National Contingency Plan of Oil Spill Response should be carefully revised in consideration of the application for bioremedaition techniques.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.101-107
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• 1998

Biological treatment of Arabian light crude oil-contaminated pebble was investigated in laboratory microcosms after supplementation with inorganic nutrients and oil-degrading microorganisms. Glass columns ($10cm{\times}20cm$) were used as microcosms and each microcosm was filled with pebbles of diameter less than 40 mm. After initial oil contamination of 2.4% (w/v), Inipol EAP-22 or slow release fertilizer (SRF) was added as inorganic nutrients and microorganisms were sprayed over pebbles. When $C_{17}$/pristane and $C_{18}$/phytane ratios were used as a marker for oil biodegradation, both ratios for microcosm supplemented with SRF and microorganisms were the lowest (below detectable range) after 92 days. Elimination of oil by abiotic processes, however, were minimal with decrease of $C_{17}$/pristane and $C_{18}$/phytane ratios from 3.55 and 2.41 to 3.06 and 1.50, respectively. The numbers of heterotrophic and oil-degrading microorganisms, and biological activity (dehydrogenase activity) corresponded to the course of biodegradation activities in all microcosms. During the whole experimental period, there was no significant nutrient deficiency only in the microcosm with SRF and microorganisms. It seemed that a continuous supply of inorganic nutrients using SRF was the most important factor for the successful performance of biological treatment in oil-contaminated pebbles.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Soil and Groundwater Environment Conference
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• 2002.04a
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• pp.66-69
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• 2002

In this work, cost effective venting is considered by comparing flow rates of 5$m\ell$/min, 10$m\ell$/min, and 20$m\ell$/min. Studies were performed on a soil artificially contaminated with diesel oil (the initial TPH(Total Petroleum Hydrocarbon) concentration of 7098mg/kg), and nutrient condition was C:N:P rate of 100:10:1. The soil has a sandy texture with pH of 6.8, 2.16 ~2.38% organic matter, a total porosity of 47~52% and field capacity 16.2~ 17.2%. The column experiments was made of glass column of 60cm length and 10cm I.D. at controlled temperature of 2$0^{\circ}C$($\pm$2.5$^{\circ}C$). The efficiency of continuous flow rate of 5, 10 and 20$m\ell$/min resulted in separately 61.3%, 58.1%, and 55% reduction of initial TPH concentration(7098mg/kg). Hydrocarbon utilizing microbial count and dehydrogenase activity in air flow of 5$m\ell$/min were higher than those of the others. The first order degradation rate of n-alkanes ranging from C10 to C28 was higher than that of pristane and phytane as isoprenoids. The $C_{17}$/pristane and $C_{18}$phytane ratios for monitoring the degree of biodegradation were useful only during the early stages of oil degradation. Degradation contributed from about 89% to 93% of TPH removal. Volatilization loss of diesel oil in contaminated soil was about 7% to 11%, which was significantly small compared to degradation.n.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Soil and Groundwater Environment Conference
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• 2003.09a
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• pp.363-367
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• 2003

Batch experiments were performed to determine optimum conditions for biopile. The batch experiments results showed that 12.5 to 17.9% of moisture content was effective to biodegradation of petroleum hydrocarbon regardless of soil texture. Total heterotrophic bacteria populations in the inoculum-treated soil were greater than of the control and nutrient-amended soil in the early stage, but the populations in the inoculum and nutrient-amended soil were not different significantly from those in the latter stage regardless of soil texture. The same trend was observed for petroleum hydrocarbon degrading bacteria populations. The results of the biodegradation capacity experiments showed that there was a decline in the TPH concentrations during the experiments and no significant difference on the biodegradation was observed by treatment in silt soil. Changes of n-C17/pristane and n-C18/phytane ratios in all treated soil were significantly more than those of control. This is a strong indication of biodegradation. The TPH removal rate was calculated at 60% in all treated soil.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.8-15
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• 2016

Bioremediation, which uses microbes to degrade most organic pollutants in soil and groundwater, can be used in solving environmental issues in various polluted sites. In this research, a wind-driven bioventing system is built to degrade about 20,000 mg/kg of high concentration diesel pollutants in soil-pollution mode. The wind-driven bioventing test was proceeded by the bioaugmentation method, and the indigenous microbes used were Bacillus cereus, Achromobacter xylosoxidans, and Pseudomonas putida. The phenomenon of two-stage diesel degradation of different rates was noted in the test. In order to interpret the results of the mode test, three microbes were used to degrade diesel pollutants of same high concentration in separated aerated batch-mixing vessels. The data derived thereof was input into the Haldane equation and calculated by non-linear regression analysis and trial-and-error methods to establish the kinetic parameters of these three microbes in bioventing diesel degradation. The results show that in the derivation of μ_m (maximum specific growth rate) in biodegradation kinetics parameters, K_s (half-saturation constant) for diesel substance affinity, and K_i (inhibition coefficient) for the adaptability of high concentration diesel degradation. The K_s is the lowest in the trend of the first stage degradation of Bacillus cereus in a high diesel concentration, whereas K_i is the highest, denoting that Bacillus cereus has the best adaptability in a high diesel concentration and is the most efficient in diesel substance affinity. All three microbes have a degradation rate of over 50% with regards to Pristane and Phytane, which are branched alkanes and the most important biological markers.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.431-436
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• 2002

Effects of fertilizer additions for oil degradation were examined in sand seashore mesocosms. Within 37 days, up to $85\%$ removal was achieved by the addition of slow-release type fertilizer (SRF) with the initial degradation rate of 423.3 mg oil $(kg sand)^-1\;day^-1$. The removal was mostly of biological origin based on the changes of $C_17$ /pristane and $C_18$/phytane ratios from 2.60 to 0.81 and from 3.55 to 1.29, respectively. The addition of oleophilic fertilizer (Inipol EAP22) was less effective and resulted in the removal of $64\%$ of the added oil ($3\%$, v/v) with a lower initial degradation rate. Petroleum-degrading bacteria had achieved a value of $1{\times}10^8$ CFU $(g sand)^-1$ at Day 3 and this peak exactly coincided with the initial degradation in the SRF-treated mesocosm. In this mesocosm, surface tension values were decreased drastically during Days 3 and 8, suggesting that microbially-produced surface-active agents actively enhanced the oil degradation rate and cell proliferation. Although the Inipol-treated mesocosm appeared to show significantly enhanced oil degradation compared to that of the untreated control mesocosm, Inipol was found to be less effective than SRF in enhancing a true oil-degrader when compared under similar experimental conditions.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.10-18
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• 2013

The pilot scale biopile system was designed and operated for evaluation of bioremediation efficiency for petroleum contaminated soil. The pilot scale biopile consisted of biopile dome, aeration system and monitoring system and two biopiles were operated with nutrients and inoculum for more 100 days. The test pile A and B were analyzed with regard to pH, total carbon contents, water contents, nutrients (N, P) and TPH. The initial TPH concentrations for pile A and pile B were about 10,000 mg/kg and 2,300 mg/kg, respectively. After 100 days, the TPH contents decreased about 70% in the pile A and 30% in the pile B. Also, n-$C_{17}$/pristane and n-$C_{18}$/phytane ratios in all pile were significantly changed. The microbial densities in the pile A was increased by approximately $10^7$ CFU/g-soil~$10^8$ CFU/g-soil, but there was almost no changed in the pile B. The average biodegradation rates were calculated about 66.8 mg/kg-day in the pile A and 10.9 mg/kg-day in the pile B. Over the course of operation period, pile temperature was considered the major limiting factor for the efficiency of all biopiles.

• The Korean Journal of Petroleum Geology
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• v.5 no.1_2 s.6
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• pp.48-58
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• 1997

Core samples from the B, E, F, H wells in the Tertiary Pohang Basin were analysed for total organic carbon (TOC) content and subject to Rock-Eval pyrolysis in order to assess petroleum geochemical characteristics of organic matter. Following geochemical screening, we selected samples from each well for the study of bitumen and kerogens such as optical observation, infra-red spectroscopy and biomarker analyses. Sediments of the Tertiary Yonil Group contain total organic carbon ranging from $0.55{\%} to 3.74{\%}$ with S1+S2 values higher than 2mgHC/g Rock in B, E and F wells, which indicates fair hydrocarbon generation potential. Most organic matter in the B, E, F wells is compared to type II based on the Rock-Eval pyrolysis, infra-red spectroscopy and optical observation. However, organic matter in the H well is compared to type III because the well is located at the margin of the basin where the preservation of terrestrial material is dominant. Geochemical analyses show that organic matter in the Yonil Group is thermally immature although thermal maturity slightly increases with depth. Maturity levels of the extracted kerogens are similar to those of bulk samples ($Tmax<435^{\circ}C$. Petroleum geochemical charateristics of the sediments in the Tertairy Yonil Group is fair in terms of the organic richness and hydrocarbon genetic potential, but organic matter is thermally immature due to the shallow burial depth. Optical observation of the kerogens and biomarker analysis show that organic matter in the Yonil Group is both marine and terrestrial origin, although it was deposited in marine environment. Pristane/phytane ratio suggests rather anoxic depositional environment. Transitional characteristics of organic matter indicate that the marine Yonil Group was deposited near the terrestrial environments. Input of terrestrial organic matter is more prevalent in the samples recovered from the lowermost horizon in the wells due to the terrestrial environment at the time of basin formation.

• The Korean Journal of Petroleum Geology
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• v.6 no.1_2 s.7
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• pp.25-36
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• 1998

Organic geochemical analyses were carried out in order to characterize organic matter (OM) in the sediments recovered from Korea/japan Joint Development Zone (JDZ V-1, V-3, VII-1 and VII-2) which is located in the northern end of the East China Sea Shelf Basin. Late Miocene sediments from the JDZ V-1 and V-3 wells generally contain less than $0.5\%$ of total organic carbon (TOC). However, early Miocene and Oligocene sediments show TOC values of $0.6-0.8\%$. Middle to late Miocene sediments are rich in TOC up to $20\%$ from JDZ VII-1 and JDZ VII-2 wells. The reason for this rich TOC might be attributed to the presence of coaly shales. Kerogens in the Tertiary sediments from the JDZ series wells are mainly composed of terrestrially derived woody organic matter. Elemental analyses indicate that OM from these wells can be compared to type III. Low hydrocarbon potential and hydrogen index reflect the type of OM. According to the biomarker analyses, the input of the terrestrial OM is prevalent. Oxidizing condition is also indicated by Pristane/Phytane ratio. Samples from the JDZ V-1 and V-3 wells obtain maturities equivalent to the oil generation zone around total depth, and organic matter below 3600 m from JDZ VII-1 and VII-2 wells reached dry gas generation stage. Oligocene sediments below 3500 m in the JDZ VII-1 and JDZ VII-2 wells may have generated limited amount of hydrocarbons, showing a progressive decrease in hydrogen index with depth, due to thermal degradation with increased burial. Gas shows and finely disseminated gilsonite may indicate the generation and migration of the hydrocarbons.