Crude Oil Contamination Research Articles

In situ microbial and phytoremediation of crude oil contaminated soil by Cynodon sp.

Crude oil contamination of land and water leads to their abandonment after heavy oil recovery processes. Analogous to bioremediation, phytoremediation has provided an efficient solution towards land reclamation through enhancement of flora. The present work manifests significance of phytoremediation via reclamation of crude oil contaminated soil collected from Kalol, India. The collected soil was analyzed for pH, oxidation–reduction potential, electrical conductivity (EC), bulk density, particle size, moisture. The experimental work consists three batch units; pot A, pot B and pot C with crude oil contaminated soil, fresh soil and control respectively. While observing plant growth for 120 days, Total Petroleum Hydrocarbon (TPH) was measured at determined intervals for estimation of percentage degradation. After 90 days of pot observation, contaminated soil was inoculated with rhizospheric bacterial inoculum developed from pot A which forms new batch for microbial-remediation as an additional scope to this work. Gas chromatography mass spectroscopy (GC-MS-MS) was carried out for determination of naphthalene contamination. Crude oil degradation in pot A was estimated as 82.16% followed with the affirmation given by degradation kinetics whereas, 60.68% and 36.75% degradation was observed in pot C-control and new batch respectively. Cynodon sp. grown in pot A was confirmed by identification as reported.

Lethality of Crude Oil Contamination on Properties of Soil and Growth Parameters of Maize (Zea mays L.).

Lethality of Crude Oil Contamination on Properties of Soil and Growth Parameters of Maize (Zea mays L.).

Mycorestoration of crude oil polluted soil using Pleurotus tuberregium

Crude oil contamination is known to cause unwholesome damage to man, his environment comprising of soil, air and water bodies as well as other forms of life. This study determined the effect of crude oil polluted soils on the composition of different microorganisms and plants and the growth of Pleurotus tuberregium. Oil polluted soils in bowls were amended with sawdust from Brachystegia nigerica as substrate. Fruiting bodies and the diameter of the mushroom cap were found to increase with increasing weeks of exposure to oil as against the control which had no fruiting bodies throughout the experiment. Pepperomia pellucida was found to be the predominant weed (n = 20), followed by Asystasia gangetica (n = 11). The bacterial and fungal counts were higher at the oil polluted soil attached to sclerotia than the control. The growth of Pleurotus tuberregium in the polluted soil samples showed its ability to degrade and utilize hydrocarbon as the source of carbon and energy, thereby remediating the contaminated soil environment. This work has shown that the fungus has bioremediation and pollution control capacity.

Pollutants Sorbent Made of Cotton Fabric Modified with Chitosan-Glutaraldehyde and Zinc Oxide Particles

The paper reports on the preparation of composite materials by modifying cotton fabric with a layer of crosslinked glutaraldehyde chitosan containing zinc oxide particles. The ability of chitosan to form complexes with zinc ions has been used to control the size, structure, and distribution of the particles on the fiber surface. The three different obtained materials have been characterized by optical and scanning electron microscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and fluorescent analysis. It has been found that the interaction of the ZnO particles with the functional groups of chitosan affects its swelling ability in water and thus determines its sorption properties. The capacity of the materials to wipe water-soluble (textile reactive dye) and water-insoluble (crude oil and oil products) contaminants has been compared. The effect that the amount of zinc oxide has on the ability of the materials to remove contaminants has also been studied. The possibility for adsorption–desorption of the crude oil and reuse of the sorbent material has been investigated as well.

Changes of Heart Rate and Lipid Composition in Mytilus Edulis and Modiolus Modiolus Caused by Crude Oil Pollution and Low Salinity Effects.

Blue mussels, Mytilus edulis, inhabiting tidal zones, are naturally exposed to fluctuating environmental conditions (e.g., fluctuations in temperature and salinities), while horse mussels, Modiolus modiolus, live under relatively invariable shelf water conditions. The present investigation tested the hypothesis: blue mussels, in comparison to horse mussels, have an increased ability to tolerate the stress of pollution combined with low salinity. To assess the response of blue mussels and horse mussels to oil pollution at seawater salinities of 25 psu (normal) and 15 psu (low), we used a combination of heart rate and lipid composition as physiological and biochemical indicators, respectively. A sharp decrease in heart rate as well as important fluctuations in cardiac activity was observed under all oil concentrations. Modifications in the concentrations of the main membrane lipid classes (phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, and cholesterol) and storage lipids (primarily triacylglycerols) in response to different crude oil concentrations were time- and dose-dependent. Both chosen indicators showed a high sensitivity to crude oil contamination. Furthermore, both bivalve species showed similar responses to oil pollution, suggesting a universal mechanism for biochemical adaptation to crude oil pollution.

Risk Analysis of Crude Oil Contamination on Quality of Drinking Water for Some Sources of Freshwater

The main goal of this study was to see how water-soluble fractions of light crude oil from the Taq taq refinery influenced those physicochemical parameters in drinking water from the Dukan River and Sarchnar spring sources. According to statistical analysis, water quality parameters such as pH, electrical conductivity, temperature, turbidity, color, total solids, total dissolved solids, total suspended solids, ammonium, sulfide, and phosphorus have all been impacted by this crude oil when compared to controls (water resources) and drinking water quality standards. The results showed that the values of turbidity, color, ammonium, sulfide, and phosphorus in water samples that have been treated with various percent of crude oil water-soluble fractions are increased due to the high effects of crude oil on the physical and chemical characteristics of water resources (% 0 controls). According to our findings, the effect of crude oil contamination on water quality has been linked to a variety of factors.

Isolation and Characterization of Oil-Degrading Enterobacter sp. from Naturally Hydrocarbon-Contaminated Soils and Their Potential Use against the Bioremediation of Crude Oil

The contamination of crude oil in soil matrices is a persistent problem with negative repercussions because of the recalcitrant, hazardous, and mutagenic properties of its constituents. To mitigate the effect of crude oil contamination in soil, the use of microorganisms is a cheap and feasible option. In the current study, bacterial species from numerous polluted oil field surfaces were isolated and examined for their ability to degrade crude oil. Random soil samples polluted with hydrocarbons were collected and various bacterial isolates were isolated. Results revealed that 40% of total isolates had potential use for hydrocarbon biodegradation, the synthesis of exopolysaccharides and the solubilization of phosphorous. Following isolation and characterization to degrade crude oil, a pot trial was conducted using maize inoculated with the four best strains—i.e., S1 (PMEL-63), S2 (PMEL-67), S3 (PMEL-80), and S4 (PMEL-79)—in artificially hydrocarbon-polluted soil with concentrations of crude oil of 0, 1000, and 2000 ppm. Results revealed that S4 (PMEL-79) had significant potential to degrade hydrocarbon in polluted soils. The root length, shoot length, and fresh biomass of maize were increased by 65%, 45%, and 98%, respectively, in pots inoculated with S4 (PMEL-79) Enterobacter cloacae subsp., whereas the lowest root length was observed where no strain was added and the concentration of crude oil was at maximum. Moreover, S4 (PMEL-79) Enterobacter cloacae subsp. was found to be the most effective strain in degrading crude oil and increasing maize growth under polluted soil conditions. It was concluded that the isolation of microorganisms from oil-contaminated sites should be considered in order to identify the most effective microbial consortium for the biodegradation of naturally hydrocarbon-contaminated soils.

Quantifying Crude Oil Contamination in Sand and Soil by EPR Spectroscopy

Crude oil frequently contains stable radicals that allow detection by means of EPR spectroscopy. On the other hand, most sands and soils possess significant amounts of iron, manganese or other metallic species that often provide excessively broad EPR signatures combined with well-defined sharp features by quartz defects. In this study, we demonstrate the feasibility to identify oil contamination in natural environments that are subject to oil spillage during production on land, as well as beachside accumulation of marine oil spillage. Straightforward identification of oil is enabled by the radical contributions of asphaltenes, in particular by vanadyl multiplets that are absent from natural soils. This potentially allows for high-throughput soil analysis or the application of mobile EPR scanners.

Remediation of Crude Oil Contaminated Soil, Using Organic Supplement: Effects on Growth and Heavy Metal Uptake in Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz)

Field experiments were conducted in 2016 and repeated in 2017 to evaluate the effectiveness of Oil Palm Bunch Ash (OPBA) and Dried Poultry manure (DPM) as organic supplement, applied singly and in combination on growth properties and heavy metal uptake of cassava cultivars grown in crude-oil contaminated soil of the Niger Delta Region, Nigeria. There were four different organic amendments viz: DPM, OPBA, OPBA +DPM and control using TMS 30572, NR8082 and local variety as test crops. Results were elaborated statistically with the use of three-by-four factor variance analysis with ANOVA. Effect of various application of amendment on morphometric parameters of cultivars revealed in 2017 that at 36 weeks after sprouting (WAS), DPM and OPBA +DPM significantly (P≤ 0.05) enhanced plant heights of TMS 3572 and LV but had no influence on number of nodes, stem girth and leaf area. However, the interactions resulted in significant (P≤ 0.05) uptake and concentration of the heavy metals Fe, Cu, and Pb in leaves and Fe in roots ofTMS30572 and NR8082, indicating efficient metal removal by these varieties. Results of amendment also revealed remarkable increment in bacterial and fungal (from 104 to 106 and 103 to 104 ) populations respectively, correlating with reduction in soil total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) from 156.45 mg/kg to 146.73 mg/Kg. This is observed to diminish oil toxicity and improve soil status. The response of these cassava varieties to crude oil contamination appears to be optimistic. Consequently crop farmers are adviced against planting cassava and other arable crop at crude oil impacted soil for the risk of uptake of heavy metal in crop tissues. 
 Keywords: Remediation, Heavy metal, Oil-contaminated soil, Organic amendment, Growth properties, Cassava

Development of a plant microbiome bioremediation system for crude oil contamination

Bacterial-assisted phytoremediation is recently being considered to be an efficient technique for remediation of crude oil-contaminated soil. The present research was designed to establish a plant microbiome bioremediation system for treating crude oil contamination. 10 strains of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) were isolated from oil-contaminated soil near Oil Refinery Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Based on plant growth-promoting characteristics and biosurfactant production, two strains (Pseudoarthrobacter phenanthrenivorans (MS2) and Azospirillum oryzae (MS6)) were selected. They showed a better emulsification index (54.2, 42.5%), oil displacement activity (3.4, 2.6 mm), and hydrophobicity content (78, 75%,). For the establishment of the plant microbiome system, both strains and their combination were inoculated in rhizospheric soil of maize in crude oil-contaminated soil. Better germination attributes of maize were observed by a combination of both strains with improved fresh (32%) and dry biomass (26.5%) as compared to control under oil stress (10%). Plant microbiome bioremediation system improved the chlorophyll content (30.4%), water potential (23.2%), proline (32%), amino acids (11.1%), and antioxidant enzymes (catalase (21%), peroxidase dismutase (30%) and superoxide dismutase (22%), as compared to control under oil stress (10%). The hydrocarbons degradation efficiency of this system was 38.5%. Analysis of degradation products by GC-MS revealed the presence of low molecular weight hydrocarbons in the treated soil as compared to untreated soil. This study showed promising results by this plant microbiome system can be a way forward in bacterial assisted phytoremediation approaches at the field level in the future.

Biostimulation potential of biochar for remediating the crude oil contaminated soil and plant growth.

Crude oil contamination is a serious environmental threat to soil and plants growing in it. Biochar has the potential of biostimulation for remediation of crude oil-contaminated soil. Therefore, the current research was designed to analyze the bio-stimulatory impact of biochar for remediating the crude oil contaminated soil (10%, and 15%), and growth of maize under glasshouse conditions. Biochar was produced by pyrolysis of Australian pines at 350 °C. Soil incubations were done for 20 days. The results of soil analysis showed that the crude oil degradation efficiency of biochar was 34%. The soil enzymatic activities had shown 38.5% increase in fluorescein diacetate (FDA) hydrolysis and 55.6% increase in dehydrogenase activity in soil incubated with biochar in comparison to control. The soil microbial diversity was improved to 41% in biochar treated soil with respect to untreated one, while microbial respiration rate had shown a 33.67% increase in soil incubated with biochar with respect to control under oil stress. Gas Chromatography Mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis had shown the high content of low molecular weight hydrocarbons (C9-C13) in the soil incubated with biochar in comparison to untreated soil. Biochar showed a significant increase in fresh and dry biomass (25%, 14.61%), leaf area (10%), total chlorophyll (11%), water potential (21.6%), osmotic potential (21%), and membrane stability index (12.7%). Moreover, biochar treatment showed a higher increase in the contents of proline (29%), total amino acids (18%), soluble sugars (30.4%), and antioxidant enzymes like superoxide dismutase (16.5%), catalase (11%), and peroxidase (12%). Overall, the results of the present study suggest the bio-stimulating potential of biochar for degradation of hydrocarbons in crude oil contaminated soil and their growth-stimulating effects on maize.

Effects of oil contamination and bioremediation on geotechnical properties of highly plastic clayey soil

Leakage of oil and its derivatives into the soil can change the engineering behavior of soil as well as cause environmental disasters. Also, recovering the contaminated sites into their natural condition and making contaminated materials as both environmentally and geotechnically suitable construction materials need the employment of remediation techniques. Bioremediation, as an efficient, low cost and environmental-friendly approach, was used in the case of highly plastic clayey soils. To better understand the change in geotechnical properties of highly plastic fine-grained soil due to crude oil contamination and bioremediation, Atterberg limits, compaction, unconfined compression, direct shear, and consolidation tests were conducted on natural, contaminated, and bioremediated soil samples to investigate the effects of contamination and remediation on fine-grained soil properties. Oil contamination reduced maximum dry density (MDD), optimum moisture content (OMC), unconfined compressive strength (UCS), shear strength, swelling pressure, and coefficient of consolidation of soil. In addition, contamination increased the compression and swelling indices and compressibility of soil. Bioremediation reduced soil contamination by about 50%. Moreover, in comparison with contaminated soil, bioremediation reduced the MDD, UCS, swelling index, free swelling and swelling pressure of soil, and also increased OMC, shear strength, cohesion, internal friction angle, failure strain, porosity, compression index, and settlement. Microstructural analyses showed that oil contamination does not alter the soil structure in terms of chemical compounds, elements, and constituent minerals. While it decreased the specific surface area of the soil, and the bioremediation significantly increased the mentioned parameters. Bioremediation resulted in the formation of quasi-fibrous textures and porous and agglomerated structures. As a result, oil contamination affected the mechanical properties of soil negatively, but bioremediation improved these properties. • Geotechnical properties of oil-contaminated and bioremediated marl were studied. • Bioremediation degraded oil contamination by about 50%. • Bioremediation increased the shear strength of oil-contaminated soil. • Soil structure changed to agglomerated and porous one due to bioremediation. • Bioremediated soil can be used for constructing liners and manufacturing cement.

Comparison of plant growth and remediation potential of pyrochar and thermal desorption for crude oil-contaminated soils

Crude oil contamination is a serious environmental threat for soil and plants growing in it. This study provides the first experimental evidence for comparison of the efficacy of pyrochar (slow pyrolysis biochar), thermal desorption and their combined application for degradation of crude oil contaminated soil (0%, 10%, and 20%), and growth of lettuce under glasshouse conditions. Pyrochar was produced by pyrolysis of sawdust at 350 °C, whereas thermal desorption was done by soil pyrolysis at 500 °C. Soil incubations were done for 120 days. The results of soil analysis showed that the crude oil degradation efficiency for the combined application was highest (40%), whereas pyrochar and thermal desorption was 25% and 19.6%, respectively. The maximum degradation products of crude oil were manifested by the detection of low molecular weight hydrocarbons (ranged between 173 and 422) in the soil with combined application treatment using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC–MS) analysis. Crude oil contamination significantly reduced the germination and growth of the lettuce plants. Similarly, the combined application also improved plant growth by an increase of 24% in germination percentage, 35.5% in seedling vigor index, and 27% in promptness index under 20% crude oil contamination. Remediation caused a significant increase in fresh and dry biomass (40%), leaf area (30%), total chlorophyll (21%), water potential (23.6%), osmotic potential (27%), and membrane stability index (40%). Moreover, there was an increase in the contents of proline (32%), total amino acids (29%), soluble sugars (37%), proteins (27%), and antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase (19%), catalase (33%) and peroxidase (38%). This study confirmed the efficacy of pyrochar (slow pyrolysis biochar), thermal desorption, and their combined application for crude oil decontamination of soil at laboratory scale and also in improving soil usability by improved germination and growth of lettuce.

Effects of crude oil contamination on geotechnical properties of sand-kaolinite mixtures

Abstract In this study, a series of laboratory tests were performed to investigate the interaction between crude oil, clay minerals, and sand particles in contaminated soils and the effect of crude oil on the engineering properties of sand-kaolinite mixtures with different weight ratios of clay to sand was evaluated. Mixtures with a weight ratio of 10%, 30% and 50% kaolinite to sand contaminated with different contents of crude oil (including 0%, 4%, 6% and 8% by dry weight of soil) have been considered. Standard compaction, unconsolidated undrained triaxial, permeability, pH, and water holding capacity (WHC) tests have been conducted on the clean and contaminated specimens at the same dry density. In addition, Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) has been used to identify the microscopic interactions between crude oil, kaolinite and sand particles. The results show that due to an increase in contamination, the maximum dry density, optimum water content, permeability and pH values were decreased. Different ratios of clay/sand had a significant effect on WHC value and soil shear strength parameters in the presence of the crude oil. While in the sandy specimens with low clay quantity, the addition of crude oil decreased the internal friction angle, in the specimens with high clay quantity, the angle of friction increased. SEM images showed that crude oil contamination caused aggregation of clay particles and a flocculated structure with more macropores. The findings of this paper can clarify the hydro-chemo-mechanical properties of a wide range of soils and help in geotechnical designs of contaminated soils.

Biochar and compost-based phytoremediation of crude oil contaminated soil

Objectives: To study the effect of compost and biochar on phytoremediation of crude oil-contaminated soil. Methods: An attempt was made to remediate crude oil contaminated soil, using the phytoremediation method. The soil was amended with biochar and compost. Initially, the pH, moisture content and C/N ratio of the soil and amendments were determined. A pot culture experiment was conducted to study the effect of the amendments on the degradation of the Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons (TPH) in the crude oil contaminated soil using the plant species nutgrass (Cyperus rotundus). To avoid seepage of water from the pots plastic pots were used. The initial concentration of TPH was found to be 17mg/kg soil. The experiment was conducted from January to March 2019. No microorganism was inoculated either to enhance the growth of the plant or degrade the hydrocarbon. The study was conducted with natural microflora. The pots were kept (open) under direct sunlight with 8 hours of photoperiodism. The plants were watered daily with tap water to maintain optimum moisture content. Once in 15 days, the soil samples collected from each treatment were analysed for pH, moisture content and C/N ratio. The TPH removal rate was determined for the 45th day and 60th day. Findings: The soil amended with compost (200 kg/soil) and biochar (50 kg/soil) enhanced the degradation of TPH by the plant species. The highest degradation percent of 62.2 and 77.1% was achieved on 45th and 60th day respectively in the treatment T5 (amended with biochar and compost). Further, there was an increase in shoot length (54.52 cm/plant), root biomass (0.74 g/plant) and shoot biomass (5.08g/plant) of the plants in the biochar and compost amended soil which was comparable with the results of the treatment T2 (Plants were grown in soil without crude oil contamination). Applications: Biochar and compost amendment improves the water holding capacity and nutrient status of the soil, thereby enhancing the growth of TPH degraders in soil. Hence, from the study, it is understood that biochar and compost could be used for phytoremediation of crude oil contaminated soils. Keywords: Amendments; degradation of TPH; nutgrass

Full-length 16S rRNA gene sequencing reveals spatiotemporal dynamics of bacterial community in a heavily polluted estuary, China.

Understanding the bacterial community structure of the river estuary could provide insights into the resident microorganisms in response to environmental pollution. In this study, the bacterial community structure of Liaohe Estuary was investigated using single-molecule real-time sequencing (SMRT). A total of 57 samples were collected and grouped according to habitat, space, season, and lifestyle. In seawater, regardless of whether it is particle-attached (PA) or free-living (FL) bacteria, the area with higher alpha diversity is the nearshore area in the dry season, while it is the midstream area in the wet season. The bacterial communities in sediment and seawater samples were different at the genus level in the nearshore area, and habitat type was the main factor. A marked difference in the bacterial community was observed in the dry season between different lifestyles but not in the wet season, which resulted from lifestyle transitions of bacterioplankton. Bacterial community varied spatially but not seasonally in sediment samples. In seawater, both FL and PA bacterial communities varied spatially during the wet season. Seasonal differences were only observed in FL bacterial community. Zn and sand were the principal determining factors of the bacterial community in the sediment, Cu and salinity were the main environmental factors for FL bacteria, and Cu, salinity, Zn and temperature were the main environmental factors for PA bacteria. Besides, the tide and nutrients were also the main drivers of the bacterial community in seawater. The indicative taxa, related to Cyanobium_PCC-6307, Pseudomonas and Vibrio, further evidenced the presence of possible bloom, crude oil and pathogen contamination. Overall, our results can contribute to the knowledge of the bacterial community and anthropogenic impacts on the Liaohe Estuary.

Enzymatic defense of Cyperus brevifolius in hydrocarbons stress environment and changes in soil properties

Hydrocarbons or crude oil contamination of soil is still a burning problem around the globe. The herbs competent that are to survive in hydrocarbons contaminated habitats have some adaptive advantages to cope up with the adverse situations prevailing in that environment. In the present study, the adaptive response of Cyperus brevifolius in the heavily polluted soil with crude oil has been investigated in terms of survivability, changes in productivity, antioxidants, phytochemicals and functional group pro files of the plant species. Besides, changes in enzymes, beneficial bacterial population and physico-chemical conditions of contaminated soil were also studied during 60 days of experimental trials. The results showed significant enhancement in activities of soil dehydrogenase, urease, alkaline phosphatase, catalase, and amylase whereas reduction in cellulase, polyphenol oxidase and peroxidase activities. There was a significant increase in nitrogen fixing, phosphate and potassium solubilizing bacterial population, improvement in physico-chemical conditions and a decrease in total oil and grease (TOG) levels. Besides there was significant variations in the productivity parameters and antioxidant profiles of Cyperus brevifolius in hydrocarbons stress condition suggesting enzymatic defense of the herb. The fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) analysis indicated uptake and metabolism of some hydrocarbon components by the experimental plant from the hydrocarbons polluted soil.

Определение хлорорганических соединений в химических реагентах, применяемых при добыче, транспортировке и переработке нефти, рентгенофлуоресцентным методом

The organic chloride content in crude oil being among the most crucial quality characteristics of the crude is strictly controlled. The presence of organic chlorides in crude oil greatly endangers the oil refineries since it causes a severe equipment corrosion. Specialty oilfield chemicals, which are widely used in the crude oil extraction, transportation, refining and storage, could be a source of the crude oil contamination with organic chlorides. As a consequence, the organic chloride content determination in the chemicals is required. It was demonstrated that the organic chloride content in the specialty oilfield chemicals can be determined by X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRF) using an appropriate specimen preparation procedure. Two specimen preparation procedures, i.e. the solvent extraction and the distillation of a specimen mixed with the crude oil or its model, were tested. It was established that an organic chloride content can be successfully determined in a broad range of the specialty oilfield chemicals by the XRF technique when applying these specimen preparation procedures. The investigation of four types of the specialty oilfield chemicals confirmed that the specimen preparation procedure, involving a solvent extraction of organic chlorides from the chemicals into isooctane, is more comprehensive than the distillation procedure since it is free from the limitations associated with the use of high temperatures.

Pregled bioreremedijacije kontaminiranih hidromorfnih zemljišta u području delte reke Niger u Nigeriji

Bioremediation technologies are an environmentally friendly approach for the treatment of polluted soils. This review take a look at the various remediation efforts by various scientist to ameliorate the effect of crude oil contamination on the environment. Contamination of the total environment (air, soil, water and biota) by crude oil has become a paramount interest in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. With the frequent reports of oil spillages in the Niger Delta area, there is need to seek for a cost effective method for remediation of crude oil impacted soils. Studies have revealed variable impacts of oil toxicity on the environment and exposed populations. Soil contamination is caused mainly by the leakage of underground storage tanks and pipes. The most common conventional method for the remediation of contaminated soils is excavation followed by landfilling or incineration and other technologies that have been widely practiced. Contaminated sites pose a threat to human life due to severe health problems caused by adverse health effects from exposure to soil contamination. Once it is being detected, assessment strategies, type of sampling, chemical analyses, evaluation of parameters and its effect must be done. Several technologies and parameters have been developed to treat petroleum hydrocarbon contaminated soil but the problem still exists.

In-situ diffuse reflective infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS) study on Ni passivation in FCC catalysts from boron-based technology

Fluid Catalytic Cracking (FCC) is a crucial refining process supplying majority of gasoline used worldwide as well as other key building blocks for chemical industry. Nickel, a contaminant in crude oil, deposits on FCC catalysts and induces unwanted dehydrogenation reactions, inhibiting the FCC unit from reaching optimal operation. We describe a new spectroscopic methodology to characterize the impact of boron interaction on nickel in FCC catalysts through a trend analysis of CO DRIFTS for FCC catalysts from boron-based technology. Results obtained by the new method provide direct spectroscopic evidence of boron effect on nickel passivation by decreasing reducibility of nickel.