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Catechol Degradation in Soil

Year
2016
Field
Environmental engineering
Type
Undergraduate lab project

Overview

Lab study testing whether catechol (a BTEX-related aromatic compound) can be removed from soil under extreme high-pH, heavy-metal conditions where microbial biodegradation is normally infeasible — comparing chemical/physical adsorption against integrated microbial removal.

Key points

  • Sampled composting-site soil; characterized texture, moisture, pH, total nitrogen and phosphorus; profiled microbial carbon-source use with Ecoplates.
  • Built six microcosms (soil + BH medium + 5 mM catechol); tracked degradation by UV absorbance at 230 nm against a calibration curve.
  • A pH-11, metal-rich, phosphorus-free microcosm served as an essentially abiotic (chemical/physical) control.
  • Chemical adsorption (e.g., Fe(OH)₃ complexes) increased with pH while physical adsorption decreased.
  • Purely physical/chemical removal was nearly comparable to the microbial-inclusive process.

Figures

(a) Reagent preparation
(a) Reagent preparation
(b) Reagent preparation
(b) Reagent preparation
(c) Reagent sample (soil)
(c) Reagent sample (soil)
(d) Vibration mixer
(d) Vibration mixer
(e) Catechol degradation in six microcosms
(e) Catechol degradation in six microcosms
⤓ Lab report (PDF, Korean)
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