Bioremediation of engine-oil contaminated soil using local residual organic matter

Soil remediation industries continue to seek technologies to speed-up treatment and reduce operating costs. Some processes are energy intensive and, in some cases, transport can be the main source of carbon emissions. Residual fertilizing materials (RFM), such as organic residues, have the potential to be beneficial bioremediation agents. Following a circular economy framework, we investigated the feasibility of sourcing RFMs locally to reduce transport and assess possible bioremediation efficiency gains. RFMs were recruited within 100 km of the treatment site: ramial chipped wood (RCW), horse manure (MANR) and brewer spent grain (BSG). They were added to the land treatment unit's baseline fertilizer treatment (FERT, "F") to measure if they improved the remediation efficiency of an engine oil-contaminated soil (7,500 ± 100 mg kg^-1). Results indicate that MANR-F was the only amendment more effective than FERT for petroleum hydrocarbons (PHC) reduction, while emitting the least CO₂ overall. RCW-F was equivalent to FERT but retained more moisture. Although BSG contributed the most nitrogen to the soil, BSG-F retained excessive moisture, emitted more volatile organic compounds, contained less soil O₂, and was less effective than the baseline treatment. Significantly more of the C₁₆-C₂₂ fraction was removed (63% ± 22%) than all other fractions (C₂₂-C₂₈, C₂₈-C₃₄, C₃₄-C₄₀), which were equally removed. Microbial community-level physiological profiling was conducted with Biolog Ecoplates™, and catabolic diversity differed between treatments (utilization rates of 31 carbon sources). MANR-F has the potential to increase PHC-remediation speed and efficiency compared to inorganic fertilizer alone. Other RFM promote moisture retention and diverse microbial catabolic activity. A variety of RFM are present across the globe and some can offer low-cost amendments to boost remediation efficiency, while reducing treatment time compared to traditional fertilizer-only methods.