| The effects of growing tall fescue on the biodegradation of hydrocarbons was studied in laboratory scale pots. Degradation of hydrocarbons as well as microbial counts, soil fluorescein diacetate activity, catalase activity and dehydrogenase activity were determined. The results showed that, in the rhizosphere soil system, total petroleum hydrocarbons disappeared faster than that in unvegetated pots soil. After 10 weeks, 11.8% and 27.4% of spiked petroleum hydrocarbons disappeared from the bulk and rhizosphere soils respectively. Abiotic loss of petroleum hydrocarbons by evaporation was of minor significance in the test. The microbial plate counts and soil enzyme activities were significantly higher in the rhizosphere than in the bulk soil. Petroleum compounds had significant effect on fluorescein diacetate hydrolyzing activity. Vegetation resulted in significantly greater first-order decay constants compared to the unvegetated control. Oxygenated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons that were present in the soil were generally degraded more slowly than the parent compounds, suggesting that they were formed during the treatment or that they are more persistent. Four oxidation products of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, 1-acenaphthenone, 9-fluorenone, anthraquinone, and benzfluorenone were found at significantly higher concentrations at the end of the study. |
