Development Of A Numerical Model To Study The Impact Of Temperature And Nutrient Limitation For Bioremediation In Cold Regions

Abstract Submission: The Arctic ecosystem is highly susceptible to hydrocarbon contamination due to oil spills and discharge from storage tanks, trucks, and pipelines. Therefore, soil bioremediation is gaining attention as a potential and economical soil decontamination approach to preserve the balance of arctic ecosystems. However, microbial bioremediation application in cold temperatures poses significant challenges to obtaining effective remediation. Therefore, this study evaluates the factors influencing the bioremediation of hydrocarbons under Arctic environmental conditions, particularly temperature and nutrient availability. The nutrients are trapped in the active permafrost layer, making bioremediation a viable method during summer, but it can be frozen during winter. Hence, the temperature and moisture conditions can adversely affect the growth rate of bacteria. In this study, we developed a reactive-transport model to study the impact of nutrient availability and temperature on the bacteria growth rate. We use the current literature findings to identify the different types of hydrocarbon sources and bacteria present in the Arctic region. The reactive transport model simulates the bioremediation process under various environmental conditions to determine the parameters that critically affect the decay of hydrocarbons. The reactive transport model uses a modified Monod equation by relating the growth rate of bacteria to the concentration of the hydrocarbons and nutrient availability (nitrogen). The results from this study can be used to identify the critical environmental parameters that can impact the bioremediation of hydrocarbons in the Arctic region.

Learning Objectives/Expected Outcome (Optional) :