Seeding conditions of the halophyte Atriplex patula for optimal growth on a salt impacted site.

Salt-impacted soils resulting from oilfield brine spills are increasingly becoming a significant problem in oil-producing areas of Canada such as Alberta and Saskatchewan. The native halophyte Atriplex patula is being considered a potential species for phytoremediation of brine-impacted sites in these hemiboreal climactic zones. The objective of this study was to investigate the optimal seeding conditions under field conditions (with no irrigation) of A. patula for phytoremediation of salt from a brine-impacted site. Atriplex patula was identified in preliminary greenhouse trials to have one of the highest salt accumulations in relation to plant yields. Different seeding methods of A. patula were assessed in an attempt to achieve reproducible growth of this species. While plant yields for A. patula were improved on compacted soil by approximately 30-50%, growth was uneven with regard to density and height. The uneven growth may be due to seed quality and low precipitation during the field season, while improvements in plant yield on compact soil might be due to a lack of competition with other species.

Determination of ethanolamine, ethylene glycol and triethylene glycol by ion chromatography for laboratory and field biodegradation studies.

The determination of alkanolamines and glycols in groundwater and subsurface environments is essential for environmental assessment, remediation and monitoring for selected industrial sites. Monoethanolamine (MEA), ammonium, sodium, magnesium and calcium detection was performed using cation exchange chromatography (IC) with suppressed conductivity detection. Acetate, chloride, nitrite, nitrate, phosphate, sulfate and oxalate were monitored employing anion exchange chromatography with suppressed conductivity. Detection of ethylene glycol (MEG) and triethylene glycol (TEG) and ethanol was carried out using ion exclusion chromatography with pulsed amperometric detection. Effective determination of MEA, MEG and TEG in complex groundwater matrices without compound transformation offered improved monitoring capabilities. This study presents robust analytical tools for MEA, MEG and TEG determination in biodegradation studies. Using ion chromatography offered significant advantages for the analyses of groundwater samples and laboratory bioreactor monitoring.