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Lookup NU author(s): Dr Angela SherryORCiD, Obioma Mejeha, Professor Ian Head
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND).
Marine sediments represent an important sink of harmful petroleum hydrocarbons after an accidental oil spill. Electrobioremediation techniques, which combine electrokinetic transport and biodegradation processes, represent an emerging technological platform for a sustainable remediation of contaminated sediments. Here, we describe the results of a long-term mesocosm-scale electrobioremediation experiment for the treatment of marine sediments contaminated by crude oil. A dimensionally stable anode and a stainless-steel mesh cathode were employed to drive seawater electrolysis at a fixed current density of 11 A/m2. This approach allowed establishing conditions conducive to contaminants biodegradation, as confirmed by the enrichment of Alcanivorax borkumensis cells harboring the alkB-gene and other aerobic hydrocarbonoclastic bacteria. Oil chemistry analyses indicated that aromatic hydrocarbons were primarily removed from the sediment via electroosmosis and low molecular weight alkanes (nC6 to nC10) via biodegradation.
Author(s): Cappello S, Cruz Viggi C, Yakimov M, Rossetti S, Matturro B, Molina L, Segura A, Marqués S, Yuste L, Sevilla E, Rojo F, Sherry A, Mejeha OK, Head IM, Malmquist LMV, Christensen JH, Kalogerakis N, Aulenta F
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: Water Research
Year: 2019
Volume: 157
Pages: 381-395
Print publication date: 15/06/2019
Online publication date: 03/04/2019
Acceptance date: 27/03/2019
Date deposited: 09/04/2019
ISSN (print): 0043-1354
ISSN (electronic): 1879-2448
Publisher: Elsevier
URL: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2019.03.094
DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2019.03.094
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