Bioaerosols and Particle Release During Composting of Contaminated Sawmill Soil

• Published in: Bioremediation journal Vol. 3; no. 1; pp. 47 - 58
• Main Authors: Laine, M. Minna, Jørgensen, Kirsten S., Kiviranta, Hannu, Vartiainen, Terttu, Jokela, Jouni K., Adibi, Abiodun, Salkinoja-Salonen, Mirja
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: TAYLOR & FRANCIS 01.01.1999
• Subjects: airborne microorganisms; Bacillus cereus; bioremediation; composting; particle sizes; polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin (PCDD); polychlorinated dibenzofuran (PCDF); polychlorinated phenol; Pseudomonas aeruginosa
• ISSN: 1088-9868; 1547-6529
• DOI: 10.1080/10889869991219190

Compost windrows for bioremediation of soil were built at a wood-preserving site contaminated with chlorophenols, polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs). Sampling of airborne particles during the mixing of the compost windrows found concentrations of PCDDs and PCDFs in different particle sizes. The congener distribution of PCDDs and PCDFs in the collected air particle fractions was similar to that in the compost windrows, and the level of PCDDs and PCDFs was 1000-fold higher than the atmospheric background values reported previously. Viable particle-sizing samplers and several selective growth media were used to enumerate bacteria and fungi in the airborne particles. From the collected air samples, 40 bacteria were isolated and identified. Among the isolated bacteria, 80% were Gram-positive and spore-forming. Two of the identified airborne bacteria, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Bacillus cereus, may cause human disease and are classified in biological agent hazard group 2. The amounts of airborne fungi, molds, and yeasts were 1000 to 2000 colony-forming units (CFUs) per m 3 . The number of actinomycetes was up to 6-fold, and the number of bacteria was 2- to 20-fold compared to background values. The overall level of airborne bacteria (200 to 3500 CFUs per m 3 ) was low compared to the level of bacteria (10 5 to 10 8 CFUs per m 3 ) found when composting municipal waste.