Effects of organic pollutants on methanogenesis, sulfate reduction and carbon dioxide evolution in salt marsh sediments

Abstract

Anaerobic salt marsh sediments were amended with a variety of organic pollutants and the effects on methanogenesis, sulfate reduction and carbon dioxide evolution were examined. Addition of 1000 μg g −1 (dry weight sediment) Arochlor 1221, lindane, endrin, benzene and phenanthrene resulted in no significant effects on the activities studied. Methanogenesis was inhibited by 1000 μg g −1toxaphene, PCP, chlordane, naphthalene, DDT, Kepone and heptachlor and by 100 μg g −1 PCP and toxaphene. At 1000 μg g −1 naphthalene and toxaphene and 100 μg g −1 PCP, a period of initial inhibition of methanogenesis was followed by stimulation relative to controls. Arochlor 1254 (1000 μg g −1) and Temik (500 and 10 μg g −1) stimulated methanogenesis from the outset. Temik at 500 μg g −1 gave the greatest stimulation of methanogenesis (900% of controls) of any of the compounds studied. Sulfate reduction was inhibited by 1000 μg g −1 PCP, toxaphene, naphthalene and chlordane and by 500 μg g −1 atrazine and 100 μg g −1 heptachlor. Sustained inhibition of sulfate reduction by naphthalene, toxaphene and PCP may have contributed to the stimulation of methanogenesis. Carbon dioxide evolution was not significantly affected by most of the compounds studied except for 100 μg g −1 PCP and 1000 μg g −1 aphthalene, each of which gave significant inhibition in only one of three experiments. Concentrations of individual organic pollutants required to cause observable effects were high. It is concluded that, except for highly polluted sediments, methanogenesis, sulfate reduction and CO 2 evolution would not be affected by the compounds studied here at concentrations typically found in the environment.