Volume 42, N. 2, May-August 2019 | PDF(12 downloads)
Abstract
This study compared the process of biotic and abiotic degradation of biodiesel in a clayey soil in a laboratory environment (ex situ) and infield environment (in situ). The experiment carried out ex situ had controlled temperature and humidity, while the experiment in situ was directly influenced by external factors such as rainfall and temperature. The soil was collected deformed and contaminated with 4% of biodiesel in relation to dry weight (m/m). The bioreactors were molded under the same initial parameter conditions of the field. The experiment lasted for 120 days and contaminant reduction measurements were made throughout the experiment. At the end of the experiment, there was a reduction of 89% in the contaminant initially added to the soil in the ex situ experiment, whereas in the in situ experiment there was a reduction of 32%. The main conclusion is that the laboratory experiment provided better results of biodegradation, since it was possible to perform an effective control of abiotic factors, such as temperature, humidity and pH. However, these results are not representative of the actual behavior in the field.
