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Biodegradation Testing of Bitumen*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 February 2011

R. E. Barletta ,
B. S. Bowerman ,
R. E. Davis  and
C. E. Shea
R. E. Barletta
Affiliation:
Department of Nuclear Energy, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY 11973
B. S. Bowerman
Affiliation:
Department of Nuclear Energy, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY 11973
R. E. Davis
Affiliation:
Department of Nuclear Energy, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY 11973
C. E. Shea
Affiliation:
Department of Nuclear Energy, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY 11973
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Abstract

An estimate of the rate of biodegradation of bituminous material is necessary to predict the long-term stability of low- and intermediate- level waste solidified using bitumen. Data from a series of scoping experiments have been analyzed to determine the rate of degradation of blown bitumen samples under a variety of conditions. Among the variables investigated were the effect of soil type, moisture, sample surface area and microbial strain. The rate of degradation was measured by monitoring metabolic CO2release. Using this data it was found that, for degradation in soil, a mean rate of 5.5 × 10−4 cm/yr represented all data to within a factor of about two. This mean rate is nearly that for distilled bitumen samples measured by other workers.

Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 84: Symposium L – Scientific Basis for Nuclear Waste Management X , 1986 , 399
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 1987

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Footnotes

*

Experimental work carried out under the auspices of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission

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