The New Jersey Institute of Technology's
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Title:	Enhancing the bioavailability of sorbed pollutants from sediments using ultrasound
Author:	Mathew, Rachel
View Online:	njit-etd1997-076 (x, 35 pages ~ 1.4 MB pdf)
Department:	Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Degree:	Master of Science
Program:	Environmental Engineering
Document Type:	Thesis
Advisory Committee:	Hsieh, Hsin Neng (Committee chair) Mukherjee, Sudhi (Committee member) Raghu, Dorairaja (Committee member)
Date:	1997-05
Keywords:	Water--Pollution. Sediment control. Ultrasonic cleaning.
Availability:	Unrestricted
Abstract:	Many organic compounds, that enter aquatic systems have a strong tendency to sorb onto particulate matter which may be present in suspension or as sediment. Numerous studies have shown that the sediment in aquatic systems concentrate contaminants several orders of magnitude greater than the concentration in the aqueous phase. Particulate associated contaminants in sediments are not easily bioavailable. Hence the efficacy of any treatment technology would be strongly undermined if the contaminants are not made available for microbial utilization. Sediment associated contaminants can be made biologically available to various microorganisms under certain conditions. In this study, desorption studies were conducted by sonicating contaminated sediment obtained from Newton Creek in New York. After the sediment was characterized, experiments were conducted at various sonication energies and durations. Results indicate that sonication of the sediment suspensions significantly enhanced the release of organic matter into the soluble phase. Since microorganisms utilize organic matter only in the soluble phase, the rate and extent of biodegradation of organic matter can be consequently improved.