Feasibility Study for Bioremediation of BTEX Contaminated Soil with Mixed-Bed Ion Exchange Resin Capsule.

Oil leakage from storage can cause severe soil pollution and also affect ground water contamination. The main objective of this study was to examine mixed-bed ion exchange resin as a tool for bioremediation of BTEX contaminated soil. Two different resins, ion exchange resin (Amberlite IRN-150) and carbonaceous resin (Ambersorb 563), were inoculated with Pseudomonas Putida known as oil degrading bacteria after adequate  amount of nutrient mineral solution was sorbed into each resin. For determining optimum C/N ratio sorbed into resin, optical density (OD) was observed with spectrometry at 600nm as C/N ratio of 10:1, 20:1, and 30:1. Result showed that the highest microbial activity was observed with C/N ratio of 20:1 among three different ratios. In order to evaluate BTEX degradation, different concentration of BTEX (0, 50, 100, 200 mg L^-1) was spiked in 100mL separation funnel and mixed-bed ion exchange resin inoculated with Pseudomonas Putida was embedded. The result of BTEX concentration with time showed that degradation of BTEX was achieved at the range of 60-80% compared to initial BTEX concentration. SEM image also confirmed that biofilm was formed at the surface of resins. Based on this result, mixed-bed ion exchange can be utilized as a tool for bioremediation of BTEX contaminated soil.
Keywords: Ion exchange resin, BTEX, Bioremediation, Pseudomonas Putida