Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

On-line estimation of biodegradation in an unsaturated soil

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Bioprocess and Biosystems Engineering Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The objective of this study was to develop a model-based estimator of biodegradation in unsaturated soil. This would allow real-time assessment of the efficiency of treatment bioprocesses, such as bioventilation and biopile, and eventually permit optimization through the implementation of control strategies. Based on a reduced-order model, an asymptotic observer was designed to estimate on-line the contaminant concentration, using carbon dioxide measurement. Two observer-based estimators were built to approximate: (1) the specific microbial growth rate; and (2) the biocontact kinetics representing the soil resistance to contaminant biodegradation. State observers and parameter estimators were confronted with the experimental results of biodegradation in microcosms. Hexadecane was used as the model compound, representing petroleum hydrocarbons. Three water contents, corresponding to 20%, 50% and 80% of the water-holding capacity, were tested. The asymptotic observer is able to predict hexadecane depletion with an error on the overall time trajectories of 13%, 8% and 4% for the dry, intermediate and wet soils, respectively, which is acceptable given that all the biokinetic parameters were identified from a biodegradation experiment in liquid phase. The observer-based estimator of the specific microbial growth rate, based on the CO2 measurement, was successfully calibrated using the off-line measurements of hexadecane as validation data, and allowed estimation of the time when biodegradation switched from a microbial to a biocontact limitation. The biocontact kinetics was also identified on-line, using an estimator based on the hexadecane not in biocontact. These results are very encouraging with respect to the potential for on-line assessment of the performance of treatment bioprocesses in unsaturated soils.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1a–c.
Fig. 2a–c.
Fig. 3a–c.
Fig. 4a–c.
Fig. 5a–c.
Fig. 6a–c.
Fig. 7a–c.
Fig. 8a–c.
Fig. 9a–c.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Alexander M (1994) Biodegradation and bioremediation. Academic, San Diego

  2. Baker KH, Herson DS (1994) Bioremediation. McGraw-Hill, New York

  3. Fu C, Pfanstiel S, Gao C, Yan X, Govind R, Tabak HH (1996) Studies on contaminant biodegradation in slurry, wafer, and compacted soil tube reactors. Environ Sci Technol 30:743–750

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Bastin G, Dochain D (1990) On-line estimation and adaptive control of bioreactors. Elsevier, Amsterdam

  5. Bernard O, Hadj-Sadok Z, Dochain D, Genovesi A, Steyer JP (2001) Dynamical model development and parameter identification for an anaerobic wastewater treatment process. Biotechnol Bioeng 75:424–438

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Dochain D, Vanrolleghem P (2001) Dynamical modeling and estimation in wastewater treatment processes. IWA, London

  7. Lubenova V (1996) On-line estimation of biomass concentration and non stationary parameters for aerobic bioprocesses. J Biotechnol 46:197–207

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Pomerleau Y (1990) Modélisation et contrôle d'un procédé fed-batch de culture des levures à pain Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Dissertation, École Polytechnique de Montréal, Montréal, Canada

  9. Perrier M, Dochain D (1993) Evaluation of control strategies for anaerobic digestion processes. Int J Adapt Contr Signal Process 7:309–321

    Google Scholar 

  10. Bourrel S (1996) Estimation et commande d'un procédé à paramètres répartis utilisé pour le traitement biologique de l'eau à potabiliser. Dissertation, Université Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France

  11. Julien S (1997) Modélisation et estimation pour le contrôle d'un procédé de boues activées éliminant l'azote des eaux résiduaires urbaines. Dissertation, Université Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France

  12. Perrier M, Feyo de Azevedo S, Ferreira EC, Dochain D (2000) Tuning of observer-based estimators: theory and application to the on-line estimation of kinetic parameters. Contr Eng Pract 8:377–388

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Vargas A, Soto G, Moreno J, Buitrón G (2000) Observer-based time-optimal control of an aerobic SBR for chemical and petrochemical wastewater treatment. Water Sci Technol 42:163–170

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Schoefs O (2002) Modélisation et observation des procédés de biodégradation d'un polluant dans un sol non-saturé. Dissertation, Ecole Polytechnique de Montréal, Montréal, Canada

  15. Li KY, Zhang Y, Xu T (1995) Bioremediation of oil-contaminated soil—a rate model. Waste Manage 15:335–338

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Geerdink MJ, Van Loosdrecht MCM, Luyben KCA (1996) Model for microbial degradation of nonpolar organic contaminants in a slurry reactor. Environ Sci Technol 30:779-786

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Wick LY, Colangelo T, Harms H (2001) Kinetics of mass transfer-limited bacterial growth on solid PAHs. Environ Sci Technol 35:354–361

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Zhao X, Szafranski MJ, Maraqa MA, Voice TC (1999) Sorption and bioavailability of carbon tetrachloride in a low organic content sandy soil. Environ Toxicol Chem 18:1755–1762

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Zhao X, Voice TC (2000) Assessment of bioavailability using a multicolumn system. Environ Sci Technol 34:1506–1512

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Park JH, Zhao X, Voice TC (2001) Biodegradation of non-desorbable naphtalene in soils. Environ Sci Technol 35:2734–2740

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Woo SH, Park JM, Rittmann BE (2001) Evaluation of the interaction between biodegradation and sorption of phenanthrene in soil–slurry systems. Biotechnol Bioeng 73:12–24

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Karickhoff SW (1980) Sorption kinetics of hydrophobic pollutants in natural sediments, contaminants and sediments. Ann Arbor Science, Ann Arbor, MI, pp 193–205

  23. Bailey JE, Ollis DF (1986) Biochemical engineering fundamentals. McGraw-Hill, New York

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge the financial support from the partners of the Industrial Chair in Site Remediation and Management (Alcan, EDF/GDF, Bell Canada, Cambior, Canadian Pacific Railway, Centre Expertise Analyse Environnementale du Québec (CEAEQ), City of Montreal, Total Fina Elf, Hydro-Québec, Natural Science and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), Petro-Canada and Solvay) and from the Belgian Programme on Interuniversity Attraction Poles, initiated by the Belgian State, Prime Minister's Office for Science, Technology and Culture. The scientific responsibility rests with the authors.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Chemical Engineering Department, University of Technology of Compiègne, PO Box 20.529, 60205, Compiègne Cedex, France

    O. Schoefs

  2. NSERC Industrial Chair in Site Remediation and Management, Dept. of Chemical Engineering, École Polytechnique de Montréal, Station Centre-ville, PO Box 6079, Montréal, QC H3C 3A7, Canada

    R. Samson

  3. URCPC, Dept. of Chemical Engineering, École Polytechnique de Montréal, Station Centre-ville, PO Box 6079, Montréal, QC H3C 3A7, Canada

    M. Perrier

  4. CESAME, Université Catholique de Louvain, Av. G. Lemaître 4-6, B-1348, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium

    D. Dochain

Authors
  1. O. Schoefs
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. M. Perrier
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. D. Dochain
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. R. Samson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to O. Schoefs.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Schoefs, O., Perrier, M., Dochain, D. et al. On-line estimation of biodegradation in an unsaturated soil. Bioprocess Biosyst Eng 26, 37–48 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00449-003-0336-y

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00449-003-0336-y

Keywords

Search

Navigation