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Biodegradation of Petroleum Hydrocarbons in a Soil <br />Containing Polyacrylamide <br />Sameer Khaitan', L.E. Erickson', Stacy L. HutchinsonZ and R. Karthikeyanz <br />Department of Chemical Engineering', <br />Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineeringz, <br />Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas, 66506. <br />Abstract <br />The objective of this study was to evaluate the fate and toxicity of total petroleum <br />hydrocarbons (TPH), polyacrylamide and acrylamide monomer in soil under aerobic conditions <br />for mixtures of commercially available products that have application as an anti traction material <br />(ATM) (Southwest Research Institute patent pending for ATM). <br />The aerobic biodegradability of petroleum hydrocarbons in several formulations was <br />determined using a simple microcosm/respirometric method based on cazbon dioxide production <br />and TPH depletion. The microcosms consisted of 1L mason jars fitted with sealed rubber caps <br />that allowed headspace gas samples to be collected in a sealed system. The analytical procedure <br />included the detection of peaks for the compounds in TPH by gas chromatography and <br />identification of peaks with a mass spectrometer (GCMS). Mole fractions of the major <br />components in TPH (undecane, dodecane, tridecane and tetradecane) were calculated from the <br />detected peaks. The extracted soil was analyzed for total organic carbon (TOC) content in order <br />to examine the cazbon balance. The method described here provides a simple and inexpensive <br />method for determining the aerobic biodegradability of organics in soil. <br />Results indicated that, for the polyacrylamide (PAM) treatments in soil, there was no <br />significant CO2 production in the headspace of the microcosm within the experimental time <br />period. Total organic carbon values obtained for the initial and final soil showed no significant <br />PAM biodegradation within a time period of l61 days. This confirms that PAM biodegradation is <br />a slow process and may take several years. <br />