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CONFIRMING IN-SITU BENZENE BIODEGRADATION UNDER ANAEROBIC CONDITIONS USING STABLE ISOTOPE PROBING
Sublette, K., D. Taggart, and K. Clark.
26th International Petroleum Environmental Conference, 7-9 October, San Antonio, TX, 24 slides, 2019

Statistical analyses were conducted on results of stable isotope probing (SIP) from 300 field samples collected from benzene sites around the world, including the United States, Australia, Canada, China, Saudi Arabia, and the United Kingdom. SIP is a biological tool that can provide conclusive proof of in situ anaerobic biodegradation. The samples included in the current analysis were Bio-Traps amended with a specially synthesized form of benzene-containing 13C. Following in-well deployment, the Bio-Traps were analyzed for 13C enrichment in dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) and microbial phospholipid fatty acids. 13C incorporation into DIC conclusively demonstrated benzene mineralization during the deployment period. 13C incorporation into specific fatty acids associated with anaerobic microbial groups indicated that anaerobes were actively involved in the degradation of the 13C-labeled benzene or one of its metabolites. https://cese.utulsa.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/IPEC-2019-K.-Sublette-Benzene.pdf



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