Biological Treatment of Petrochemical Wastes for Removal of Hazardous Polynuclear Aromatic Hydrocarbon Constituents

Biodegradation of recalcitrant petrochemical sludges was carried out in sealed continuous tank stirred reactors (CSTR's). The specific sludge used in the research contained eight polynuclear aromatics (PNA's) cited by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) as hazardous wastes. Benzo(a)pyrene (B(a)P) was selected in this research as the primary target contaminant due to its strong carcinogenic nature and low allowable release concentrations in sludges. Mass balance removal of B(a)P and other similar aromatic hydrocarbons were found to exceed 90 percent. It is concluded that the high removals of B(a)P demonstrated in aerobic bioremediations in high solids environments, will generate better engineered and more economical commercial waste minimization applications.