The investigation of enhanced bioremediation through the addition of macro and micro nutrients in a PAH contaminated soil

Respirometer studies were conducted to determine the effect of adding macro and/or micronutrients for enhancing the bioremediation of PAH and/or petroleum contaminated soils. For the biostimulation study, three of the nutrient solutions tested with this particular soil-contaminant combination were effective at enhancing the oxygen uptake. The optimal oxygen consumption resulted when a low level of macronutrients and a high level of micronutrients were used with phosphorus as the dominant macronutrient. Conversely, only one nutrient solution was effective for the bioaugmentation studies. In this instance, the bioactivity of the foreign consortium was the greatest when a high level of micronutrients was used. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.