RemScan: A tool for monitoring the bioremediation of Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons in contaminated soil

Leadin S Khudur,Andrew S Ball

doi:10.1016/j.mex.2018.06.019

Abstract

Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons (TPH) represent major environmental contaminants which pose a significant risk to ecosystems and humans heath if left untreated. Bioremediation represents a simple, cheap and environmentally-safe approach to clean up TPH-contaminated sites. Traditional TPH analysis is expensive and time-consuming. Here we assess, for the first time, the potential of RemScan as a fast, accurate and cost-effective portable device to be used as a tool to monitor the bioremediation process. A variety of TPH-contaminated soils were subject to TPH quantitative analysis using RemScan. The TPH values obtained were validated and compared against the results obtained from an accredited external laboratory, which uses Gas Chromatography / Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS) for TPH analysis.•RemScan showed a correlation coefficient (R2) of 0.998 in comparison with the traditional methods, but importantly with a significant reduction in both time and cost.•RemScan was successfully used to measure TPH concentrations in bioremediated, weathered-contaminated and highly contaminated soil samples with TPH concentrations varying from 100 to 100,000?mg?kg-1.•The RemScan Laboratory Station was used to minimize the source of errors associated with human manual handling.

Highlights

This study aimed to validate the RemScan to be used as an accurate, cost-effective and prompt tool for monitoring the bioremediation of Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons (TPH)-contaminated soil
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, the performance of RemScan in determining TPH concentration during a bioremediation process compared with traditional laboratory analysis has never been reported
The significance of this study is that it represents the first to validate the use of the RemScan to evaluate the efficacy of the bioremediation of a TPH contaminated soil

Summary

Method background

This study aimed to validate the RemScan to be used as an accurate, cost-effective and prompt tool for monitoring the bioremediation of TPH-contaminated soil. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, the performance of RemScan in determining TPH concentration during a bioremediation process compared with traditional laboratory analysis has never been reported. The significance of this study is that it represents the first to validate the use of the RemScan to evaluate the efficacy of the bioremediation of a TPH contaminated soil. A variety of bioremediation treatments were set up and soil samples were collected at different times over 150 days for quantitative analysis of TPH concentrations by an accredited laboratory using conventional GC/MS. We used the RemScan device to determine the concentration of TPH over a broad concentration range (100 100,000 mg kgÀ1)

Method details

Findings

Method validation