2012 International Conference on
Environmental Quality Concern,
Control and Conservation (EQC 2012)
Preliminary study of diesel biodegradation mechanism in the food waste
composting process
Li-Hsien Chen1*, Guan-Yu Chen1, Guo-Huei Wang1, Der-Shyan Sheu2, Chitsan Lin1
1
Department of Marine Environmental Engineering, National Kaohsiung Marine University,
142 Haijhuan Road, Nan-Tzu District, Kaohsiung 81157, Taiwan.
2
Department of Marine Biotechnology, National Kaohsiung Marine University,
142 Haijhuan Road, Nan-Tzu District, Kaohsiung 81157, Taiwan.
*e-mail: acermarcor@yahoo.com.tw
Abstract
Petrochemical products, gasoline, diesel, and fuel oil has not only become the necessary energy in our world
with the increasing demand year-by-year, but also been carried out storage and transportation related problems
frequently. If the systems of oil transportation, usage and storage were not managed properly, this could lead to
many oil spill disasters. Therefore, many mineral oil contaminated soils are created, and an environmental sound
remediation method is warranted. Among many of the commercial mineral oil treatment technologies, biological
treatment is the most cost effective choice. In traditional studies of biodegradation, the research focuses were
usually placed on isolation, purification, and culture of the so-called “super oleiphilus bacteria.＂ However,
when applied to the practical pollution treatment, the proposed methods were not effective due to inapplicable
“environmental conditions”. Thus, there is a strong need to develop a more reliable biological treatment
technology.
Lin et al. (2012) reported an innovative mineral oil treatment technology that utilizing food waste thermophilic
composting process to degrade diesel oil effectively. In their other report (Lin et al. 2012) further demonstrated
kitchen waste has successfully composting 10,000 mg/kg of diesel contaminated soil in a scale of 10 tons.
Through microbial degradation, the diesel concentration decreased to 1,000 mg/Kg on Day 38, and the removal
rate reached 90 %. The method has the following advantages: (a) low costs; (b) less secondary pollution; (c) the
treated soil can be backfilled to the site; and (d) the monitored soil fertility is perfect for planting fruits and
vegetables.
However, food waste composting processes to degrade diesel can also produce the intermediate VOCs (Volatile
Organic Compounds), while VOCs with the composting process, resulting in different types of compounds. In
addition, diesel in the composting degradation process or its degradation products is in the volatile situation. In
order to assess the significance of the volatile contents and to assess the biodegradation mechanisms, this study
was divided into two parts: (1) the preliminary research of VOCs in the composting process by GC / MSD
analysis; (2) exploring the diesel oil biodegradation mechanism in the food waste composting process.
2012 International Conference on
Environmental Quality Concern,
Control and Conservation (EQC 2012)
The results showed that:
(1) There were 11 groups of VOC monitored in the diesel degradation process, consisting of alkanes,
cycloalkanes, aromatics, alkenes, alcohols, carbonate ester, ketones, aldehydes, sulfur compounds, amines,
and bio-VOC . And among the list of alkanes and aromatic VOCs, there are 11 species (C8-C12) found the
same as in diesel constituents (British Petroleum, 1996).
(2) The composition of initial compost gases includes alkanes (62.76%), alkene (8.41%), naphthenic class
(13.86%), and the aromatics (4.78%). The main source of VOCs at this stage is from low molecule weight
compounds within the diesel constituents.
(3) After 1 day composting, the compost gas consists of alcohols (21.34%) and carbonate ester (59.70%). The
contribution of alcohols and carbonate ester may be from the fermentation of more biodegradable food
waste or alkanes in the diesel.
(4) On the 3th day, the compost gas emerges of thermophilic fermentation products these include ketones
(25.03%), aldehydes (5.95%) and sulfides (4.65%).
(5) During the diesel composting process (day 0 to day 8), bio-VOCs were observed all the time; these include
1R-.alpha.-pinene, beta.-pinene and D-limonene.
(6) During the entire diesel composting process, we also identified many organic acids which were assumes as
the end products of aerobic biodegradation.
According to the above results, the diesel biodegradation mechanism is preliminary assumed as follows:
TPH
Sulfur
Ester
Alkane
Alcohol
Naphthenic
class
Alkene
Ketone /
Aldehyde
Carboxylic acid
Keywords: diesel, oil contamination, food wastes, compost, thermophilic fermentation, VOCs, mechanism.
References
Chitsan Lin*, Der-Shyan Sheu, Ta-Chen Lin, C. M. Kao, Domenico Grasso (2012) “Thermophilic
Biodegradation of Diesel Oil in Food Waste Composting Processes Without Bioaugmentation.” Environmental
Engineering Science, Vol.29, Issue 2, 117-123. February 2012.