A mesoscale level experiment was carried out in order to evaluate the efficiency of phytoremediation technique on dredged marine sediment decontamination. Two different bioremediation treatments were tested: i) plants (Tamarix. gallica and Paspalum vaginatum) and ii) plants (Tamarix. Gallica and Paspalum vaginatum) and earthworms (Eisenia fetida). The monitoring of the pilot system consisted of the sediment sampling after one and three years from the experiment set up. The parameters related to sediment decontamination (heavy metals and total petroleum hydrocarbons), chemical amelioration (total organic carbon, total nitrogen) and biological activation (total b-glucosidase and dehydrogenase activities and total cultivable microbial population) were measured. In order to in-depth investigation of humic matter and humic-bound enzymes extracted from sediment, the isoelectric focusing technique (IEF) was used. The total content of heavy metals and hydrocarbons in treated sediments decreased with time, suggesting a positive effect of the phytoremediation technique. The organic matter incorporation and stabilization and the increase of humic bound b-glucosidase activity in both treatments indicate the evolution of the sediment toward a fertile soil-like matrix.
Biochemical functional recovery of coastal/marine sediments
Serena Doni;Cristina Macci;Eleonora Peruzzi;Brunello Ceccanti
2011
Abstract
A mesoscale level experiment was carried out in order to evaluate the efficiency of phytoremediation technique on dredged marine sediment decontamination. Two different bioremediation treatments were tested: i) plants (Tamarix. gallica and Paspalum vaginatum) and ii) plants (Tamarix. Gallica and Paspalum vaginatum) and earthworms (Eisenia fetida). The monitoring of the pilot system consisted of the sediment sampling after one and three years from the experiment set up. The parameters related to sediment decontamination (heavy metals and total petroleum hydrocarbons), chemical amelioration (total organic carbon, total nitrogen) and biological activation (total b-glucosidase and dehydrogenase activities and total cultivable microbial population) were measured. In order to in-depth investigation of humic matter and humic-bound enzymes extracted from sediment, the isoelectric focusing technique (IEF) was used. The total content of heavy metals and hydrocarbons in treated sediments decreased with time, suggesting a positive effect of the phytoremediation technique. The organic matter incorporation and stabilization and the increase of humic bound b-glucosidase activity in both treatments indicate the evolution of the sediment toward a fertile soil-like matrix.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
