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Updated: Oct 4, 2026

Temperature Response of Soil Organic Matter Decomposition Rates: Construction and Applications of a Temperature Gradient Block
Published on: January 30, 2026
[Effect of temperature on biodegradation of the petrochemicals in contaminated soil]
1Dept. of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China. zhangxu@mail.tsinghua.edu.cn
Abstract:
Temperature is a significant factor of the natural attenuation of the polluted soil. The effect of the temperature on the biodegradation rates and the half-life of the petrochemicals in contaminated soil were evaluated in this paper by the simulative experiments in laboratory. The results showed that the relationship between the temperature and the biodegradation rates was consistent with the exponential equation: K = 3145exp(-5233/T). According to the prediction of half-life of the biodegradation rates by the equation, the half-life at 5 degrees C, 10 degrees C, 20 degrees C and 30 degrees C were 1499 days, 1075 days, 572 days and 317 days respectively.
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