Transport of a PAH-degrading bacterium in saturated limestone media under various physicochemical conditions: Common and unexpected retention and remobilization behaviors.

Abstract

Laboratory saturated columns packed with granular limestone grains were used to explore the retention and remobilization of functional bacteria FA1 under various physicochemical conditions. The unique surface properties of limestone and FA1 caused some unexpected phenomena. Solution IS, cation type, temperature and surface biological property all affected FA1 retention in the columns. The IS effect was temperature dependent and initial solution pH showed little influence due to the strong buffering ability of limestone. Perturbations of solution IS caused slight release of previously retained bacteria in some columns with NaCl as the background electrolyte, while increase in flow rate caused no release at all. When CaCl2 was the background, bacterial remobilization only occurred following both cation exchange and IS reduction. DLVO forces incorporating with surface roughness calculation were determined to assist with interpretation of interaction mechanisms. All the experimental evidences suggest the importance of cation bridging, cation exchange, surface roughness, and hydrophobic interaction in controlling bacterium transport in saturated limestone porous media.