CSIRO Land and Water, Centre for Environment and Life Sciences, Private Bag No.5, Wembley, WA, 6913, Australia.
UWA School of Agriculture and Environment, University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA, 6009, Australia.
Biodegradation. 2019 Feb;30(1):71-85. doi: 10.1007/s10532-019-09867-w. Epub 2019 Feb 6.
During the 1991 Gulf War, oil wells in the oil fields of Kuwait were set aflame and destroyed. This resulted in severe crude oil pollution of the countries only fresh water aquifers. Here, for the first time the natural attenuation and biodegradation of the persisting groundwater contamination was investigated to assess potential processes in the aquifer. Biodegradation experiments were conducted under aerobic and multiple anaerobic conditions using microcosms of the contaminated groundwater from Kuwait. Under the conditions tested, a portion of the total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) component was degraded, however there was only a slight change in the bulk concentration of the contaminant measured as dissolved organic carbon (DOC), suggesting the presence of a recalcitrant pollutant. Changes in the associated microbial community composition under different reduction-oxidation conditions were observed and known hydrocarbon degraders identified. The results of this study indicate that lingering contaminant still persists in the groundwater and is recalcitrant to further biodegradation, which presents challenges for future remediation plans.
在 1991 年海湾战争期间，科威特油田的油井被点燃并摧毁。这导致该国唯一的淡水含水层受到严重的原油污染。在这里，首次调查了持续地下水污染的自然衰减和生物降解，以评估含水层中的潜在过程。使用科威特受污染地下水的微宇宙，在有氧和多种厌氧条件下进行了生物降解实验。在所测试的条件下，一部分总石油烃（TPH）成分被降解，但是作为溶解有机碳（DOC）测量的污染物的总体浓度仅略有变化，这表明存在一种顽固的污染物。观察到不同还原氧化条件下相关微生物群落组成的变化，并确定了已知的烃类降解菌。这项研究的结果表明，地下水中仍然存在挥之不去的污染物，并且难以进一步生物降解，这给未来的修复计划带来了挑战。
