Anaerobic Benzene Biodegradation: A Microcosm Survey

Benzene-amended microcosms prepared with saturated soil or sediment from five hydrocarbon-contaminated sites and one pristine site were monitored for a year and a half to determine the rate of benzene biodegradation under a variety of electron-accepting conditions. Sustainable benzene degradation was observed under specific conditions in microcosms from four of the six sites. Significant differences were observed between sites with respect to lag times before the onset of degradation, rates of degradation, sustainability of the activity, and environmental conditions supporting degradation. Benzene degradation was observed under sulfate-reducing, nitrate-reducing, and iron(III)-reducing conditions, but not under methanogenic conditions. The presence of competing substrates such as toluene, xylenes, and ethylbenzene was found to inhibit anaerobic benzene degradation in microcosms where sulfate or possibly nitrate was the electron acceptor for benzene degradation, but not in microcosms from where iron(III) was the electron acceptor. The presence of organic matter, indicated by a high fraction organic carbon (f_oc), also appeared to inhibit the biodegradation of benzene; microcosms constructed with soils with the highest f_oc exhibited the longest lag times before the onset of benzene degradation. The initial extent of hydrocarbon contamination did not appear to correlate with anaerobic benzene-degrading activity.