Grantee Research Project Results
2001 Progress Report: Development of Relevant Ecological Screening Criteria (RESC) for Petroleum Hydrocarbon-Contaminated Exploration and Production Sites
EPA Grant Number: R827015C011Subproject: this is subproject number 011 , established and managed by the Center Director under grant R827015
(EPA does not fund or establish subprojects; EPA awards and manages the overall grant for this center).
Center: Center for the Study of Metals in the Environment
Center Director: Allen, Herbert E.
Title: Development of Relevant Ecological Screening Criteria (RESC) for Petroleum Hydrocarbon-Contaminated Exploration and Production Sites
Investigators: Lanno, Roman , Cross, Anne , Focht, Will
Institution: Oklahoma State University
EPA Project Officer: Aja, Hayley
Project Period: July 1, 2000 through June 30, 2001 (Extended to December 31, 2001)
Project Period Covered by this Report: July 1, 2000 through June 30, 2001
RFA: Integrated Petroleum Environmental Consortium (IPEC) (1999) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Hazardous Waste/Remediation , Targeted Research
Objective:
Faced with the task of assessing cleanup options based on ecological risk-based on ecological risk-based criteria at thousands of small upstream sites, oil and gas producers are in need of a streamlined rationale for assessing ecotoxicological risk at these sites. The development of a risk based corrective action (RBCA) approach for the protection of ecological resources provides a mechanism for site-specific ecological risk assessment (ASTM 1999). However, a lack of toxicity data for soil organisms and relevant ecological screening criteria (RESC) for conducting ecological risk assessments may result in the use of default parameters and the derivation of overly conservative protection limits, resulting in unnecessary cleanup expense. The proposed research will use crude oil-contaminated soil from the Tall Grass Prairie Preserve, Pawhuska, OK, that vary in hydrocarbon content to conduct laboratory-based toxicity tests with microbes, soil invertebrates, and plants. Toxicity tests will be conducted with standard soil test invertebrates (earthworm Eisenia fetida), non-standard soil test invertebrates (e.g., enchytraeids, collembola, isopods), native prairie plant species, and soil microbial assessments consisting of examining community structure and N-mineralization. This will result in an expanded database from which RESC can be derived. Exposure assessment will consist of determining total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) by standard techniques (IR and GC/MS) and by estimating bioavailable petroleum hydrocarbons (BPH) using solid-phase microextraction (SPME) fibers. Results of the laboratory bioassays will be used to generate RESC for plants, soil invertebrates, and microbes exposed to hydrocarbons in prairie grassland soils. Development of dose-response relationships using bioavailable petroleum hydrocarbons and organism responses would allow the applicability of the results of this study to a broader range of contaminated sites, not just prairie habitats.
Progress Summary:
The major accomplishments of this quarter were:
- a. Completion of plant toxicity tests with hydrocarbon-contaminated site soils
b. Completion of solid-phase microextraction analysis of hydrocarbon-contaminated soils
The bioassays with Schizachyrium scoparium (Little Bluestem), Andropogon gerardii (Big Bluestem), Lactuca sativa and Brassica rapa have been completed. A significant treatment effect (p < 0.001) on Brassica rapa above ground biomass and stem height (at day 14) were observed (Figure 1,2). Rather than a toxic effect, there was an increase in above ground biomass and stem height (at day 14), suggestive of hormesis. No other significant effects of soil type were observed on lettuce biomass or plant height (Figures 1, 3). Insufficient germination of Big Bluestem or Little Bluestem biomass precluded the use of these species in assessment of the soils.
Solid-phase microextraction (SPME) analysis of the bioavailable petroleum hydrocarbon in the soils has been conducted and data is currently being analyzed. Nitrification assays of the soils are also being completed.
Plans for the current quarter include the development and application of the derivation process for Relevant Ecological Screening Criteria to the available data to derive a RESC for hydrocarbons in prairie soil.
Journal Articles:
No journal articles submitted with this report: View all 5 publications for this subprojectSupplemental Keywords:
hydrocarbon, soil, soil invertebrates, plants, soil screening levels, bioavailability, exposure assessment, toxicity tests., RFA, Scientific Discipline, Geographic Area, Waste, Water, Ecosystem Protection/Environmental Exposure & Risk, RESEARCH, Bioavailability, Midwest, Contaminated Sediments, Remediation, Chemistry, State, Monitoring/Modeling, Analytical Chemistry, Monitoring, Bioremediation, Biology, Engineering, Environmental Engineering, petroleum, degradation, risk assessment, ecological screening, oil biodegradation, contaminated sediment, dose response, Tallgrass Prairie Perserve, Pawhuska, OK, microbes, chemical contaminants, soils, oil spills, toxicity, bioremediation of soils, soil, hydrocarbons, oil removal, environmental stressors, environmental toxicant, measurement, microorganism, sampling, refinery sites, Oklahoma (OK), toxicsProgress and Final Reports:
Original AbstractMain Center Abstract and Reports:
R827015 Center for the Study of Metals in the Environment Subprojects under this Center: (EPA does not fund or establish subprojects; EPA awards and manages the overall grant for this center).
R827015C001 Evaluation of Road Base Material Derived from Tank Bottom Sludges
R827015C002 Passive Sampling Devices (PSDs) for Bioavailability Screening of Soils Containing Petrochemicals
R827015C003 Demonstration of a Subsurface Drainage System for the Remediation of Brine-Impacted Soil
R827015C004 Anaerobic Intrinsic Bioremediation of Whole Gasoline
R827015C005 Microflora Involved in Phytoremediation of Polyaromatic Hydrocarbons
R827015C006 Microbial Treatment of Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material (NORM)
R827015C007 Using Plants to Remediate Petroleum-Contaminated Soil
R827015C008 The Use of Nitrate for the Control of Sulfide Formation in Oklahoma Oil Fields
R827015C009 Surfactant-Enhanced Treatment of Oil-Contaminated Soils and Oil-Based Drill Cuttings
R827015C010 Novel Materials for Facile Separation of Petroleum Products from Aqueous Mixtures Via Magnetic Filtration
R827015C011 Development of Relevant Ecological Screening Criteria (RESC) for Petroleum Hydrocarbon-Contaminated Exploration and Production Sites
R827015C012 Humate-Induced Remediation of Petroleum Contaminated Surface Soils
R827015C013 New Process for Plugging Abandoned Wells
R827015C014 Enhancement of Microbial Sulfate Reduction for the Remediation of Hydrocarbon Contaminated Aquifers - A Laboratory and Field Scale Demonstration
R827015C015 Locating Oil-Water Interfaces in Process Vessels
R827015C016 Remediation of Brine Spills with Hay
R827015C017 Continuation of an Investigation into the Anaerobic Intrinsic Bioremediation of Whole Gasoline
R827015C018 Using Plants to Remediate Petroleum-Contaminated Soil
R827015C019 Biodegradation of Petroleum Hydrocarbons in Salt-Impacted Soil by Native Halophiles or Halotolerants and Strategies for Enhanced Degradation
R827015C020 Anaerobic Intrinsic Bioremediation of MTBE
R827015C021 Evaluation of Commercial, Microbial-Based Products to Treat Paraffin Deposition in Tank Bottoms and Oil Production Equipment
R827015C022 A Continuation: Humate-Induced Remediation of Petroleum Contaminated Surface Soils
R827015C023 Data for Design of Vapor Recovery Units for Crude Oil Stock Tank Emissions
R827015C024 Development of an Environmentally Friendly and Economical Process for Plugging Abandoned Wells
R827015C025 A Continuation of Remediation of Brine Spills with Hay
R827015C026 Identifying the Signature of the Natural Attenuation of MTBE in Goundwater Using Molecular Methods and "Bug Traps"
R827015C027 Identifying the Signature of Natural Attenuation in the Microbial
Ecology of Hydrocarbon Contaminated Groundwater Using Molecular Methods and
"Bug Traps"
R827015C028 Using Plants to Remediate Petroleum-Contaminated Soil: Project Continuation
R827015C030 Effective Stormwater and Sediment Control During Pipeline Construction Using a New Filter Fence Concept
R827015C031 Evaluation of Sub-micellar Synthetic Surfactants versus Biosurfactants for Enhanced LNAPL Recovery
R827015C032 Utilization of the Carbon and Hydrogen Isotopic Composition of Individual Compounds in Refined Hydrocarbon Products To Monitor Their Fate in the Environment
R830633 Integrated Petroleum Environmental Consortium (IPEC)
R830633C001 Development of an Environmentally Friendly and Economical Process for Plugging Abandoned Wells (Phase II)
R830633C002 A Continuation of Remediation of Brine Spills with Hay
R830633C003 Effective Stormwater and Sediment Control During Pipeline Construction Using a New Filter Fence Concept
R830633C004 Evaluation of Sub-micellar Synthetic Surfactants versus Biosurfactants for Enhanced LNAPL Recovery
R830633C005 Utilization of the Carbon and Hydrogen Isotopic Composition of Individual Compounds in Refined Hydrocarbon Products To Monitor Their Fate in the Environment
R830633C006 Evaluation of Commercial, Microbial-Based Products to Treat Paraffin Deposition in Tank Bottoms and Oil Production Equipment
R830633C007 Identifying the Signature of the Natural Attenuation in the Microbial Ecology of Hydrocarbon Contaminated Groundwater Using Molecular Methods and “Bug Traps”
R830633C008 Using Plants to Remediate Petroleum-Contaminated Soil: Project Continuation
R830633C009 Use of Earthworms to Accelerate the Restoration of Oil and Brine Impacted Sites
The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.
Project Research Results
Main Center: R827015
120 publications for this center
16 journal articles for this center