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Metabolites indicate hot spots of biodegradation and biogeochemical gradients in a high-resolution monitoring well.
Environ. Sci. Technol. 45, 474-481 (2011)
Anaerobic degradation processes play an important role in contaminated aquifers. To indicate active biodegradation processes signature metabolites can be used. In this study field samples from a high-resolution multilevel well in a tar oil-contaminated, anoxic aquifer were analyzed for metabolites by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry and time-of-flight mass spectrometry. In addition to already known specific degradation products of toluene, xylenes, and naphthalenes, the seldom reported degradation products benzothiophenemethylsuccinic acid (BTMS), benzofuranmethylsuccinic acid (BFMS), methylnaphthyl-2-methylsuccinic acid (MNMS), and acenaphthene-5-carboxylic acid (AC) could be identified (BFMS, AC) and tentatively identified (BTMS, MNMS). The occurrence of BTMS and BFMS clearly show that the fumarate addition pathway, known for toluene and methylnaphthalene, is also important for the anaerobic degradation of heterocyclic contaminants in aquifers. The molar concentration ratios of metabolites and their related parent compounds differ over a wide range which shows that there is no simple and consistent quantitative relation. However, generally higher ratios were found for the more recalcitrant compounds, which are putatively cometabolically degraded (e.g., 2-carboxybenzothiophene and acenaphthene-5-carboxylic acid), indicating an accumulation of these metabolites. Vertical concentration profiles of benzylsuccinic acid (BS) and methyl-benzylsuccinic acid (MBS) showed distinct peaks at the fringes of the toluene and xylene plume indicating hot spots of biodegradation activity and supporting the plume fringe concept. However, there are some compounds which show a different vertical distribution with the most prominent concentrations where also the precursor compounds peaked.
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Publication type
Article: Journal article
Document type
Scientific Article
Keywords
oil-contaminated aquifer; deep sandstone aquifer; in-situ; aromatic-hydrocarbons; anaerobic degradation; natural attenuation; phenolic-compounds; mass-spectrometry; redox conditions; toluene
ISSN (print) / ISBN
0013-936X
e-ISSN
1520-5851
Quellenangaben
Volume: 45,
Issue: 2,
Pages: 474-481
Publisher
American Chemical Society (ACS)
Publishing Place
Washington, DC
Reviewing status
Peer reviewed
Institute(s)
Institute of Groundwater Ecology (IGOE)