Environmental Pollution

Dr. V. PONVIZHI RAMYA

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR
(AGRL. MICROBIOLOGY)
What kinds of pollution are there?
Air pollution
Water pollution
Soil pollution
Noise pollution
Marine pollution
Thermal pollution
Nuclear hazards
 Effects of Air Pollution
• Health problems
• Damage to the environment
• Damage to property
• Greenhouse effect
• Ozone depletion - climate changes
• Acidification
• Smog formation
• Eutrophication
 Criteria Air Pollutants
• EPA uses six "criteria pollutants" as
indicators of air quality
• EPA established for each of them a
maximum concentration above which
adverse effects on human health may occur.
 Criteria air pollutants
• Nitrogen Dioxide: NO2
– brownish gas irritates the respiratory system originates from
combustion (N2 in air is oxidized); NOx sum of NO, NO2, other
oxides of N
• Ozone: ground level O3
– primary constituent of urban smog
– reaction of VOC + NOx in presence of heat +sun light
• Carbon monoxide: CO
– reduces bloods ability to carry O2
– product of incomplete combustion

7
• Lead: Pb
– cause learning disabilities in children , toxic to liver,
kidney, blood forming organs
– tetraethyl lead – anti knock agent in gasoline
• leaded gasoline has been phased out
• Particulate Matter: PM10 (PM 2.5)
– respiratory disorders
• Sulfur Dioxide: SO2
– formed when fuel (coal, oil) containing S is burned
and metal smelting
– precursor to acid rain along with NOx
8
 NOISE POLLUTION
• Defined as unwanted sounds that unreasonably
(a kind of harsh, loud and confused sound),
intruding into our daily activities
• The most significant attributes of noise are:
i) Its loudness
ii) Duration
• The unit of noise is decibel.
• Human ear can tolerate noise up to 120
decibels.
 Sources of NOISE POLLUTION
(i) Road Traffic:
Most prevalent and most damaging source
Impact of road traffic noise depends on factors like: road location & design, and land use
planning measures, building design, vehicle standards & driving behavior

(ii) Air Traffic

Noise from supersonic crafts are dangerous because of its intensity

(iii) Railways:
The level of noise associated with rail traffic is related to type of engine or rolling stock
used, speed of the train, track type & condition, warning signals at crossings, whistles &
horns, freight classification yards, & railroad construction & maintenance.

(iv) Industry
• Product fabrication
• Product assembly
• Power generation
• Processing.

(v) Construction: construction equipments.

(vi) Consumer products: recreational, hobbies/workshop, household, music.

(vii) Other sources: sirens, agricultural noise, noise from animals, humans & military
 Measurement of Noise
• Noise intensity is measured in decibel (Db) units
• Decibel scale is logarithmic,
• Each 10 Db increase represents a 10 fold increase in noise
intensity
• distance diminishes the effective decibel level reaching the
ear.
e.g. Moderate auto traffic at a distance of 30 m rates about
50 decibels, but for the same, for a driver with a car
window open or a pedestrian on the sidewalk, same traffic
rates about 70 decibels.
 Effects of Noise

• At 45 decibels of noise, average person cannot sleep,

• At 85 decibels hearing damage, & at 120 decibels ear experiences
pain.
• Lack of sleep, irritability, heartburn, indigestion, ulcers, high blood
pressure, & possibly heart disease
• Hearing loss
• Non-auditory physiological effects
– Annoyance
– Communication interference
 Noise Pollution Control
Source path receiver concept: Can be controlled either by
reducing the noise at the source or by preventing its
transmission or by protecting the receiver

• At the source: lubrication of machines, tightening the loose

units, reducing the eccentricity

• In the path: keeping the noisy machine covered,

construction of noise barriers, sound-proofing of the
building

• Receiver: No use of horns other than in emergency, vehicle

engines and appliances in good Condition, purchase the
least noisy air conditioner or vacuum cleaner/quieter
appliances, rest areas away from noise, turn down volume
of Stereos.
What does air pollution look like?

Let’s hear it for:

What can
we do? “Bad Pollution”

14
 Air Pollution
Solutions
• Encourage your family • Keep your family cars
to walk more in tune
• Take the school bus • Put catalytic
• Reduce the amount of converters on cars
spray bottles • Share your room with
• Do not burn leaves in others when the air
your yard- put them in conditioner is on
a compost • Take care of your trees

15
 Water Pollution
• Based on current water quality standards, over
70 percent of our rivers, 68 percent of our
estuaries and 60 percent of our lakes now meet
legislatively mandated goals.
• Some of the risks include
– pollutant runoff from agricultural lands
– Storm water flows from cities
• About 40,000 times each year, sanitary sewers overflow and
release raw sewage to streets and water bodies.

16
 Water Pollution
– seepage into ground water from nonpoint
sources
– the loss of habitats such as wetlands.
– we cannot always eat what we catch because
fish flesh is contaminated by the remaining
discharges and sources of toxic substances.
– Microbial contamination of drinking water still
presents problems in many communities.

17
Effects of Water Pollution

• Devastating to people
and animals, fish, and
birds.
• Unsuitable for
drinking, recreation,
agriculture, and
industry.
• Destroys water life.

18
 Pollution Sources
• Point sources are direct discharges to a
single point;
– examples include discharges from sewage
treatment plants, injection wells, and some
industrial sources.

19
 Pollution Sources
• Non-point sources are diffused across a
broad area and their contamination cannot
be traced to a single discharge point.
– Examples include runoff of excess fertilizers,
herbicides, and insecticides from agricultural
lands and residential areas; oil, grease, and
toxic chemicals from urban runoff and energy
production; and sediment from improperly
managed construction sites, crop and forest
lands, and eroding stream banks. 20
21
22
US EPA Toxic Release Inventory
• Certain industrial facilities are mandated to
annually report to US EPA specified toxic
chemicals
– mandated under Emergency Planning &
Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) in
1986 and enacted under Superfund
Amendments & Reauthorization Act in 1987
– response to Bhopal (1984) and other accidents

23
 Who reports
• Specified SIC (Standard Industrial
Classification) codes,
• Have 10 or more equivalent full-time
employees, and
• Exceed established thresholds for any
chemical on the TRI list
– 25,000 lb/yr if chemical is manufactured and/or
processed
– 10,000 lb/yr if chemical is otherwise used
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 Limitations of TRI
1) TRI does not cover all toxic chemicals that have the
potential to adversely affect human health or the
environment.
2) TRI does not require reporting from many major sources
of pollution releases.
3) TRI does not require companies to report the quantities of
toxic chemicals used or the amounts that remain in
products.
4) TRI does not provide information about the exposures
people may experience as a consequence of chemical use.

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 Marine pollution

• The introduction by man, directly, or indirectly, of

substances or energy to the marine environment resulting
in deleterious effects such as: hazards to human health,
hindrance to marine activities, impairment of the quality of
seawater for various uses and reduction of amenities.
• Does not include natural processes like volcanic eruptions
or earthquakes
 Marine pollutants
• Agricultural run offs ((herbicides, pesticides and
nutrients)
• Sediments
• Sewage (Faecal Coliform and Pathogens)
• Chemicals, Metals and Radioactive Substances
• Persistent toxins (PCBs, DDT, heavy metals)
• Oil
• Plastics
• Energy (Thermal & light)
 Sources of marine pollution
Land sources
• 80% of non-biological marine pollution comes from land based
activities
• pipes discharging directly into marine waters(sewage,
industrial, chemical and food processing wastes)
• Riverine flows into the sea carry pollutants from the entire catchment
area.
From Air
• Global atmospheric inputs to the sea from air discharges
Oil spills and offshore sources
• Oily discharges from ballast water and bilge water during routine ship
operations and illegal dumping of solid waste
• Designated dumping grounds at sea
• Accidental spills from Ships carrying hazardous substances, oil, gas
etc.
 Control measures for oil pollution
• Natural process of emulsification of oil by use
of chemical dispersants: can be sprayed on the
oil.
• Slick-lickers: continuous belt of absorbent
material dips through the oil slick & is passed
through rollers to extract oil.
• Rocks can be cleaned with high pressure steam
 Effects of marine pollution:
• Effects on sea life

• Effects on birds

• Effects on human being

– Health

– Business

• Eutrophication and development of red tides (phytoplankton blooms

carrying red pigmentation)

• Development of oil slick: When oil is spilled on sea, it spreads over the
surface forming a thin film called OIL SLICK. Which damage marine
life
 Effects of marine pollution
• Damages marine life to a large extent, for salt-marsh plants, oil slicks can
affect flowering, fruiting and germination.

• Coral reefs

• If liquid oil contaminates a bird’s plumage, its water-repellent properties

are lost, drown, die

• Drill cuttings dumped on seabed create anoxic conditions & result in the
production of toxic sulphides in the bottom sediment thus eliminating the
benthic fauna.

• Fish and shellfish production facilities can also be affected by oil slicks.
Commercial damage is tainting: imparts an unpleasant flavor to fish and
seafood & is detectable even at extremely low levels of contamination.
 Water Solutions
•Keep lakes clean
•Take your used motor oil to a drop off place
•Use latex paint instead of oil and rinse your brushes
in the sink rather than the yard
•Fill a spray bottle with soapy water instead of bug spray
•Plant trees to prevent soil erosion
•Keep litter, pet waste, leaves, and grass clippings out
of gutters and storm drains.
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 Industrial Waste
• Industrial waste is process waste associated
with manufacturing.
– This waste usually is not classified as either
municipal waste or hazardous waste by federal
or state laws.
– Regulatory programs for managing industrial
waste vary widely among state, tribal, and some
local governments.
• Each year, industrial facilities generate and
manage 7.6 billion tons of nonhazardous
industrial waste in land application units.
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 Municipal Solid Waste
• EPA definition
– includes wastes such as durable goods,
nondurable goods, containers and packaging,
food scraps, yard trimmings, and miscellaneous
inorganic wastes from residential, commercial,
institutional, and industrial sources.
• Examples of waste from these categories include
appliances, automobile tires, newspapers, clothing,
boxes, disposable tableware, office and classroom
paper, wood pallets, and cafeteria wastes.
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 Solid Waste Solutions

• Carry your own bag with you when

you go shopping
• Say no to all plastic bags as often as
possible
• Reduce the use of paper bags also
• Dig a compost pit in your garden and
put all the biodegradables in it
• When you go out do not throw paper
and other wrappings or even leftover
food here and there-put it in the
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 Thermal Pollution
• Thermal pollution is the process of heating up of water bodies
through run off or discharge

• Decreases the solubility of oxygen, resulting in suffocation of

plants and animals

• Human activities introducing thermal pollution:

 Industries and power plants
 Trees and tall vegetation providing shades are cut down
 Soil erosion by construction, removal of stream side vegetation, farming
practices, overgrazing & recreation increases – reduction in green
 Thermal pollution can also occur through Earthquakes
 Effects of Thermal Pollution
• Thermal shock
• Thermal enrichment: Heated water from power plant may be
used to extend plant growing season, speed up growth of fish
and other aquatic animal for commercial purpose
 Soil Pollution
Soil pollution is caused by the presence of chemicals or other
alteration in the natural soil environment.

Resulting in a change of the soil quality

likely to affect the normal use of the soil or endangering public

health and the living environment.
 CAUSES OF SOIL DEGRADATION
• Soil erosion/degradation is the loss of top soil
erodes fertility of soil & reduces its water-
holding capacity.
• Excessive farming, construction, overgrazing,
burning of grass: cover and deforestation
• Excess salts and water (Salinization)
• Excessive use of fertilizers & pesticides
• Solid waste
 First effect of pollutants
• Washed away: might accumulates somewhere
• Evaporate: can be a source of air pollution
• Infiltrate through the unsaturated soil to the groundwater
• DDT: fat soluble, stored in fatty tissues
– Interferes with calcium metabolism
– Results in thin egg shells in birds
• Agent orange: code name for one of the herbicides and
defoliants (results in leaf fall) used by the U.S. military as
part of its herbicidal warfare program, During the Vietnam
War, between 1962 and 1971, the United States military sprayed
20,000,000 US gallons (80,000,000 L) of chemical herbicides and
defoliants in Vietnam
– anti fertility, skin problems, cancer
 Control of soil pollution
• Use of pesticides and fertilizers should be minimized.
• Cropping techniques should be improved to prevent
growth of weeds.
• Special pits should be selected for dumping wastes.
• Controlled grazing and forest management.
• Wind breaks and wind shield in areas exposed to wind
erosion
• Afforestation and reforestation.
• 3 Rs: reduce, reuse, recycle

41
 Reduce

Recycle Reuse

42
 Information needed to clean up materials added to soil
Kind of material-organic or inorganic- is the material
biodegradable/ dangerous to animals & humans
 How much material was added to the soil, will it overload the
organisms in the soil
C:N ratio of the pollutant material
Nature of soil: will the soil be able to handle the material before
groundwater is contaminated
Growing conditions for the soil organisms: - is it too cold, too
wet etc.
How long the material has been on site: is there evidence of
environmental problems, is it undergoing decomposition.
Immediate danger to people & environment: Urgency of the
situation.
 Bioremediation
• The use of naturally occuring microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi & plants to
break down or degrade toxic chemical compounds that have accumulated in the
environment
• It is a method that treats the soils and renders them non-hazardous, thus eliminating
any future liability that may result from landfill problems or violations.
 Factors affecting bioremediation
• Microbial factors
• Temperature favorable for organisms
• Availability of water (Moisture content)
• Availability of nutrients (N,P,K)
• C: N (carbon: nitrogen) ratio of the contaminant
material< 30:1
• pH
• Availability of Oxygen in sufficient quantity in soil.
• In situ Bioremediation : The treatment in
place without excavation of contaminated soils
or sediments.

• Ex situ bioremediation: requires pumping of

the groundwater or excavation of contaminated
soil prior to remediation treatments.
 Types of In situ Bioremediation
• Biostimulation: To stimulate the activity of
microorganisms by adding nutrients and electron acceptors
(e.g. O2)
• Bioventing: Injecting air through soil to stimulate microbe
growth in unsaturated zone
• Biosparging: Injection of air/nutrients into unsaturated and
saturated zones
• Bioaugmentation: inoculation of soil with microbes or
adding exogenous microbes to the subsurface
Biostimulation

Biosparging
Ex-situ -Bioremediation •Easier to
• Slurry-phase-Soil combined with control
water/additives in tank, •Used to treat
microorganisms, nutrients,
oxygen added wider range of
contaminants
and soil types
• Solid-phase •Costly
– Land-farming: soil put on pad, •Faster
leachate collected
– Soil biopiles: soil heaped, air
added
– Composting: biodegradable waste
mixed with bulking agent
– Land Applied –waste added
directly to soil which is later
planted to a crop.
 Advantages of Using Bioremediation Processes
Compared With Other Remediation Technologies

(1) biologically-based remediation detoxifies hazardous substances instead of

merely transferring contaminants from on environmental medium to another;

(2) bioremediation is generally less disruptive to the environment than

excavation-based processes; and

(3) The cost of treating a hazardous waste site using bioremediation technologies
can be considerably lower than that for conventional treatment methods:
vacuuming, absorbing, burning, dispersing, or moving the material .
Soil Pollution 2: Electric Boogaloo
-The powerpoint-
Lovingly typed in short sentences by
Chris Simmons
 Soil Pollution; An Overview
• Soil pollution is the contamination of soil
by harmful substances.
• Pollution occurs when contaminants
overload the storage and processing of
substances in the soil.
• Soil lacking in nutrients leads to less
nutritious foods due to the contamination.
 Sources of Contamination
• Point-source contamination is the cause of
pollution in landfills, radioactive waste
dump sites, drainage from mining, and
vehicular emissions/spills.
• Nonpoint-source contamination is caused
by chemicals, medication, and microbes.
 The Extent of Contamination
• Soil pollution may be shallow, from the
surface to a depth of 3 feet.
• The soil can move through only the top 6
inches of soil.
• Any deeper contamination is caused
through seepage and flow of water.
 Soil Cleanup
• The process of removing toxic substances is
called remediation.
• Current techniques include excavation of
contaminated soil, washing the soil, and
changing the properties of contaminants to
make them less toxic.
 Sources of Soil Pollution
• Agriculture chemicals such as pesticides, fungicides
and herbicides.
• The contents of landfills being carried by rain into
the soil and water.
• Industry pollution heavy metal and chemical
pollutants being released.
• Feedlots damage soil health
through excess manure.
• Sewage sludge from
treatment facilities.
 Effects of Soil Pollution
• Water pollution, caused by water running over
polluted soil.
• Air pollution produced by volatile compounds
produced by the polluted earth.
• Plant contamination through the soil where the
vegetation is grown. Animals who eat the
plants get the chemical in their body, which
can lead to health issues if eaten.
• Reduction of soil health, such as the
slowing of plant growth and acidity.
 Health Effects from Soil Pollution

• Cancer can be caused by pesticides

commonly used on agricultural lands.
• Neurological problems can be caused in
children by lead in the soil.
• Tissue damage and irritation can be caused
by mercury in the soil.
 Methods of Controlling Soil
Pollution
• Preventing soil erosion by planting new
vegetation in areas prone to erosion.
• Household chemical disposal through
designated waste centers.
• The proper use of chemical killers or the
use of non-toxic killers.
Containing oil spills:
• Hair Booms
 Plastics

• 100,000 marine mammals & 2 million sea birds die each year
after ingesting or being trapped in plastic debris
• WHOI 1987 survey off N.E. coast of U.S.: found 46,000 pieces
of plastic floating on surface
 North Pacific Subtropical Gyre
• “Great Pacific Garbage Patch”

• Estimate: 46,000 pieces of floating garbage/mi2.

North Pacific Subtropical Gyre

135° to 155°W and 35° to 42°N

 North Pacific Subtropical Gyre

Great Pacific Garbage Patch- Good Morning America 2010

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLrVCI4N67M&feature=player_embedded

http://marinedebris.noaa.gov/info/patch.html#6
Marine pollution: nets and plastic debris
Marine pollution: nets and plastic debris
Laysan Island
hypersaline lake
(120-140o/oo)

Large bird rookery and guano mining

In 1857, reported 800,000 birds.
Marine pollution: nets and plastic debris
Laysan
albatross

Laysan
ducks

Sooty tern Laysan finch

Laysan Island
Bits and pieces of plastic are collected at sea and deposited on
the Laysan Lake shoreline
Albatross Chick
2004-2007
Barber’s Point
 Japan Tsunami 2011
Prediction of Marine Debris Drifting Trajectories

Hawaii

http://www.hawaii247.com/2011/04/07/tsunami-2011-japan-debris-likely-to-hit-hawaii-twice/
 Nontoxic Chemical Spills

• Sept. 10, 2013

• 233,000 gallons molasses spilled (1400 tons)
• Matson Pier on the Sand Island side of Honolulu Harbor
westward into Ke’ehi Lagoon
• 30,000 fish dead
Biomagnification
 Pesticides, Herbicides & other
organochlorines

• PCBs
• DDT

Bioaccumulation biomagnification
 Toxic Metals

Heavy metals resist biodegredation

Natural occurrence- volcanoes

• Mercury (Hg)
• Copper (Cu)
• Lead (Pb)
• Cadmium (Cd)
 Mercury
Minamata Disease (1953-1960)– Japan
 Copper
• Tributyl tin (antifouling paint for boats)
• Banned in U.S. 1980s
• Acts as an immunosuppressor
• Accumulations unusually high in small whales
• May be associated with strandings
 Lead
• Leaded gasoline invented
1920’s
• Enters water from automobile
exhaust, runoff and
atmospheric fallout of
industrial waste and landfills,
mines, dumps
• Leaded gas banned in US in
1980’s has reduced pollution in
ocean

Bioaccumulation  biomagnification
 Point Source Pollution
Sewage

• Causes disease outbreaks

• Contributes to eutrophication
6/13/2006
Raw sewage dump in Ala Wai. Beaches Close!

48 million gallons
Why?
• 40 straight days of rain
• 42-inch pressurized underground pipe
broke during heavy rains
Disease
 Sewage Discharge and
Agricultural Runoff
• nutrient enrichment of coastal waters
• physiological consequences on corals
• ecological consequences
– phytoplankton bloom reduces light
penetration
– benthic seaweeds overgrow and smother
corals
Nutrients and Algae Growth
Atomic Testing
Coral reef at Enewetak Atoll, former nuclear test site.

Atomic Testing
Thermal Effluents

Power plants
Non-Point Source Pollution

Constructed 1920-28 to reduce

Ala Wai mosquitoes, but failed.
Sediment
Runoff
Sediment Plume Entering the Ocean
(Maui)
Corals Smothered in Sediment
Pflueger at Pila’a, Kauai
$7.5 million for Clean Water Act violations
 Types of Non-Point
Source Pollution

• sediments from coastal urban and

agricultural development
• nutrients from detergents, fertilizers, leaky
septic tanks, and domesticated animals
• pesticides (home use, agricultural, & golf
courses)
 Types of Non-Point
Source Pollution

• automobile wastes such as

combusted motor oil, tire rubber,
brake pad dust, coolant, etc.
• waste water from swimming pools
and aquaculture ponds
Other Wastes
1989
Net Damage
French Frigate Shoals (2001)

Kure Atoll
Sept. 28, 2007
Kamilo Beach
Big Island
 Munitions Dumping

Millions of pounds of mustard gas canisters were jettisoned into

the Atlantic Ocean off New Jersey (1964) and elsewhere.
(Photo: The U.S. Army)
 Munitions Dumping

1940’s to 1972 off west

coast of Oahu
 Inquiry
1. Define bioaccumulation and biomagnification.
2. Discuss the process of managing an oil spill.
3. Distinguish between point source and nonpoint
source pollution.
4. What may result when eutrophication occurs?
 Lecture 14
Soil Pollution:
• Soil Pollution:
– The introduction of
substances,
biological organisms,
or energy into the
soil,
– resulting in a change
of the soil quality,
– which is likely to
affect the normal
use of the soil or
endangering public Ill. EPA employees wearing level "C"
health and the living protective gear take soil sample in
south Chicago's "cluster sites" area.
environment. Source: Ill. EPA.
• Soil contaminants are
spilled onto the surface wearing level “B" protective gear
through many different
activities.
• Most of these are the
result of accidents
involving the vehicles
that are transporting
waste material from
site of origin to a
disposal site.
wearing level “A" protective gear

Much good agricultural land is threatened by chemical

Drilling to determine pollution extent

pollution, particularly - as here in China - by waste products
from urban centres. Chemical degradation is responsible for
12 per cent of global soil degradation
Source: UNEP, Zehng Zhong Su, China, Still Pictures wearing level “D" protective gear
• Others involve
accidents
involving vehicles
(automobiles,
trucks and
airplanes) not
transporting
wastes, but
carrying
materials,
including fuel,
that when spilled
contaminate the
soil.
• Other spills are the direct
action of humans pouring
potentially toxic materials Washington state
New York
(solvents, paints, household
cleaning agents, oil, etc.)
onto the soil surface
rather than disposing
these materials by more
appropriate means.
• Illegal dumping is the
disposal of waste in
unauthorized areas.
• It is also known as “open
dumping”, “fly dumping”,
and “mid-night dumping”.
Missouri Iowa
• Illegal dumps occur most
often along isolated
roadsides in remote areas
of the country.
• Materials often found in
illegal dumps include large
household appliances, tires,
excess building materials,
old furniture, oil,
household chemicals, and
common household refuse.
• Video clip of dumping -
http://www.dnr.mo.gov/videos.htm Virginia
 Seattle, WA
Pollutant on soil surface

• When any liquid pollutant is on

or just below the ground
surface for any period of time,
one of three things could happen
to it, if it is not cleaned up first.
• 1- pollutant might be washed
away by precipitation, causing
little or no harm to the ground
on which it was found. Waco, Tx
• pollutants will simply accumulate
somewhere else)
• 2- the pollutant, if
volatile, could
evaporate, again
causing little harm
to the soil (however,
not a solution to the
bigger pollution
problem, as it might
become a source of
air pollution).
• 3- pollutant could
infiltrate through
the unsaturated soil,
in much the same
way as ground water.
• Agricultural practices, including the
use of agricultural chemicals, are
another primary source of pollution on
or near the ground surface.
• Most agricultural chemicals are water-soluble
nitrates and phosphates that are applied to
fields, lawns and gardens to stimulate the
growth of crops, grass and flowers.
 Ag Chemicals
• When not used by the plants
the nutrients can enter
streams and lakes during
the run-off or leaching
events.
• Once in a body of water,
these nutrients continue to
promote the growth of
plants, the resulting plant
detritus is food for micro-
organisms, and as the
population of such organisms
grows, the supply of oxygen
in the water is depleted.
 Algae in streams

• "Biochemical Oxygen
Demand", or "BOD".
• Water is capable of
supporting a large
population of bacteria and
the bacteria will have a
high demand for oxygen.
• Soon the oxygen supply is
depleted by the bacteria
and other organisms in the
water now lack oxygen
(fish kills)
 Soil Pollution
Information needed to clean up materials
added to soil include:
1) Kind of material - organic or inorganic - is
the material biodegradable, is the material
dangerous to animals and humans,
2) how much material was added to the soil,
will it overload the organisms in the soil;
3) C:N ratio of the material, are additional
nutrients needed ( N & P)
 Soil Pollution
4) Kind of Soil - will the soil be able to handle
the material before groundwater is
contaminated,
5) Growing conditions for the soil organisms -
is it too cold, too wet etc.
6) How long has the material been on the site
- is there evidence of environmental problems,
is it undergoing decomposition.
7) Immediate danger to people and the
environment - Urgency of the situation.
Conditions that favor
Bioremediation
• Temperature favorable
for organisms
• Water available (near
field capacity)
• Nutrients (N, P, K) in
adequate supply
• C:N ratio of material <
30:1
• Material added is similar
to naturally occurring
organic material
• Oxygen in sufficient
quantity
Slurry, Solid Phase, & Land Applied
 Using Plants for pollution cleanup
• Scientists are studying how plants can
be used to bind up soil pollution found
at national nuclear laboratories and
nuclear power plants, where radioactive
and other toxic wastes may reach
groundwater.
• Plants, soil, and microbes in the soil
work together to determine which
metals and nutrients plants take up
from the soil.
• Some plants excrete a variety of
different chemicals into the soil, some
of which act as signals to soil
organisms.
• The challenge is to find out how plants
release these chemicals and how these
chemicals interact with microbes and
soil.
• Eventually scientists may be able to
induce plants to release the chemicals
that immobilize wastes in the soil.
• Teresa Fan at UC Davis is
• Source: UC Davis Magazine Spring 2002 studying how plants can be
used to remove toxic wastes
from soil.
 Processes affecting the dissipation of organic chemicals

detoxication
crop removal
photo-dec. Runoff

volatilization
absorption &
exudation
chemical Biological
decomposition degradation
may be transformed
into - harmful or leaching
harmless
• BUTER BURN -Just how does a city go about
cleaning up after a flood of melted butter?
• "You hire somebody else to do it, that's how," joked
Tom MacAulay, New Ulm's assistant city manager,
two days after a dramatic fire destroyed much of the
Associated Milk Producers Inc. (AMPI) butter-
packaging plant in town, sending an estimated 1
million pounds of hot, liquid butter pouring onto
nearby streets and sidewalks.
• On Friday, a day after the great butter cleanup
began, city and private construction crews were still
going about the tricky task of removing the goo and
the grease from streets, sidewalks and sewer lines.
Despite steady progress, the going was slow.
• "It's not everyday you get a challenge like this,"
MacAulay said. "It's pretty nasty."
• A day earlier, crews using bobcats and tractors
scooped up much of the butter that had hardened in
the December cold, dumping chunk after frozen
chunk into dump trucks, which hauled the grease to
a nearby landfill to break down and decompose.
• Boom blocks butter.
All told, an estimated $6 million worth of butter -- about half of what was
stored at the plant the night of the fire -- spilled and was removed.
• Yet for all the progress, much work remained Friday.
• Butter that spilled into the city's storm sewer system stuck to the lining of
the pipes, which will need to be jet sprayed and cleaned. And though First
North Street -- where much of the butter pooled -- had been stripped clean
of the worst of it, a good quarter-inch of slime remained on the pavement,
even if it couldn't be seen.
• "You cannot scrape all that butterfat off the street," said Tom Patterson,
the city's street commissioner. "And it's even more dangerous if you can't
see it."
• Patterson said crews plan to cover the street with sand -- some of which
was piled into a berm to stem the flow of the butter at the height of the fire
-- in coming days in hopes of absorbing the remaining grease. At some
point, he said, the city hopes to sweep the street clean, scoop up the sand
and deposit it in a landfill, allowing the street to be reopened for traffic.
• "It's something you just never would guess we'd be dealing with,"
Patterson said. "This is all new to everybody."
 Dyad on Pollution
• 1) A lot of the melted butter was soaked up with sand.
• 2) What could be done with the polluted sand besides dumping it in a land fill. Do you think dumping the solid butter that was scrapped
off the roads in the landfill was a good idea?