Identifier

etd-01222014-141216

Degree

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Document Type

Thesis

Abstract

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a common contaminant in wetland soils. They are a group of compounds widely distributed in the environment and tend to accumulate in soils. Major contribution to removal of PAHs is biological degradation. For investigating the biodegradation potential of PAHs influenced by tidal actions, equipment was built for simulating the tidal actions, and concentrations of phenanthrene, pyrene, and benzo[e]pyrene were added to the soils samples which were collected from wetland. Experiments were then conducted over 120 days. Redox potentials and PAHs concentrations were measured and analyzed. Results are concluded: 1) influenced by tidal action, phenanthrene, pyrene, benzo[e]pyrene were rapidly biodegraded during the first 40 days followed by slow but continuous biodegradation in the next 80 days, 2) tidal action enhanced approximately 15.2%, 13.9%, 12.2% of the removal efficiencies of phenanthrene, pyrene, and benzo[e]pyrene in first 37 days, 3) redox potential can change rapidly and significantly in coastal wetland soils in response of flooding and draining, 4) redox potentials in submerged soils and periodically emerged soils were significantly different, which is 70 mV higher in the periodically emerged one.

Date

2014

Document Availability at the Time of Submission

Student has submitted appropriate documentation to restrict access to LSU for 365 days after which the document will be released for worldwide access.

Committee Chair

Malone, Ronald F

DOI

10.31390/gradschool_theses.374

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