The Effect of Activated Carbon on Biodegradation of Soil and Ground Water Contaminated with Petroleum

Abstract

The soil and ground water contaminated with petroleum research increases in many observation. This will become important since the soil and ground water contaminated petroleum was hazardous waste and toxic for human life, aquatic biota and not environmental friendly. Biological Remediation process as called Bioremediation is one of popular treatment for Total Petroleum Hydrocarbon (TPH) removal , which is in slurry phase system (contaminated soil contacted with make up water). In this research was hold on slurry phase system. The purpose of this research was to evaluate the biodegradation of hydrocarbon degradating bacteria in the presence of activated carbon hold on slurry phase system. In this research Total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) removal will become measurement parameter since activated carbon and bacteria simultaneously in 250 mL batch reactor. From this research was found that with 10 gr activated carbon and bacteria revealed that there was a significant TPH reduction in the level 11,12 % to 0,94 % during 18 hour observation. The percentage reduction was found 91,55% for reactor with activated carbon contacted bacteria and 85,5 % for reactor with bacteria only. The pattern of bacterial growth in activated carbon added to the reactor which is also better than the reactor without the addition of activated carbon.