Analysis of the effects of in-situ chemical oxidation on microbial activity using Pseudomonas putida F1

In-situ chemical oxidation is an effective groundwater remediation approach for delivering oxidants to the subsurface environment where various contaminants of concern, natural organic matter, and other reduced species within the soil consume the oxidants. The addition of these oxidants alters microbial activity changing the physical and chemical structure of the soil. This paper studied the effects of chemical oxidation on microbial activity with and without toluene. Several oxidants were used as part of the study: sodium percarbonate, hydrogen peroxide, potassium permanganate, and sodium persulfate evaluated at low, medium, and high concentrations. A series of biometer experiments seeded with microbe Pseudomonas putida F1 and soil sample and aqueous toluene solution for each oxidant was monitored by CO₂ production as a function of incubation days to evaluate the effects of oxidation on the microbial activity. Of the oxidants tested, permanganate oxidation resulted in the highest increase in microbial activity post oxidation based on CO₂ production both with and without the addition of toluene. The other oxidants exhibited a direct correlation between oxidant concentration and the change in permanganate chemical oxidant demand of the soil. However, there was no correlation between oxidant concentration and microbial activity. Each of the oxidants was shown to increase CO₂ yield except for sodium percarbonate, which had an adverse effect on microbial activity. It is likely that the increased microbial activity associated with permanganate oxidation was the result of chemical reactions between the oxidant and natural organic matter in the soil.