Assessing the effect of deposited bitumen or asphaltenes on the nitrification process in the north saskatchewan river sediment
Following oil spills, heavier compounds of oils formed oil-sediment mixtures and deposited on the riverbed, yet their impacts on freshwater sediment ecosystems are not well understood. This study aimed to (1) examine the effects of deposited bitumen (Bit) and asphaltene (Asp) on the North Saskatchew...
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Elsevier
2025-04-01
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| Series: | Environmental Advances |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666765725000110 |
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| author | Nayereh Saborimanesh Patricia Q. Tran Md Hosnay Mobarok |
| author_facet | Nayereh Saborimanesh Patricia Q. Tran Md Hosnay Mobarok |
| author_sort | Nayereh Saborimanesh |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Following oil spills, heavier compounds of oils formed oil-sediment mixtures and deposited on the riverbed, yet their impacts on freshwater sediment ecosystems are not well understood. This study aimed to (1) examine the effects of deposited bitumen (Bit) and asphaltene (Asp) on the North Saskatchewan River (NSR) water quality, focusing on organic carbon and nitrogen; (2) assess the impact of Bit or Asp on sedimentary nitrification; and (3) explore the response of the microbial community to Bit or Asp. Laboratory-scale abiotic (no sediment) and biotic treatments with fresh (NH₃-deprived) sediment and NH₃-enriched sediment were performed at 20 ± 1°C for up to 120 days. Results of the abiotic and biotic treatments with fresh sediment indicated that up to 5 mg/L of total organic carbon (TOC) or nitrogen in the form of NH3 leached from both deposited Asp and Bit into the overlaying water. Considering the relatively low background concentrations of TOC (2.19 ± 0.29 mg/L) and nitrogen (0.07 ± 0.02 mg/L) in the NSR water, the leached compounds could contribute to the overall organic carbon and nitrogen concentrations in the river. A comparison of the unexposed NH3-enriched sediment (Ctl) and Bit-exposed NH3-enriched sediment showed that exposure of nitrifying communities did not affect ammonia oxidation but decreased nitrite (50 %) and nitrate (30 %) production. Additionally, the sedimentary microbial community composition altered from its initial composition to a new profile post-exposure to Asp or Bit. The microbial communities also responded differently to Bit exposure compared to Asp exposure. For instance, Asp-exposed sediment was dominated by a diverse group of taxa, while Bit-exposed sediment was mainly dominated by phylum Proteobacteria post-exposure. Overall, the findings indicate that deposited Bit and Asp could contribute organic carbon and nitrogen to the NSR water, impaire the sedimentary nitrification process and alter microbial community composition in the sediments. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-f2f870b5fea24c61a99af8e3b497f2aa |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2666-7657 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Environmental Advances |
| spelling | doaj-art-f2f870b5fea24c61a99af8e3b497f2aa2025-02-09T05:01:32ZengElsevierEnvironmental Advances2666-76572025-04-0119100619Assessing the effect of deposited bitumen or asphaltenes on the nitrification process in the north saskatchewan river sedimentNayereh Saborimanesh0Patricia Q. Tran1Md Hosnay Mobarok2Natural Resources Canada, CanmetENERGY Devon, 1 Oil Patch Drive, Devon, AB T9 G 1A8, Canada; Corresponding author.Department of Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1550 Linden Dr, Madison, WI 53706, United StatesNatural Resources Canada, CanmetENERGY Devon, 1 Oil Patch Drive, Devon, AB T9 G 1A8, CanadaFollowing oil spills, heavier compounds of oils formed oil-sediment mixtures and deposited on the riverbed, yet their impacts on freshwater sediment ecosystems are not well understood. This study aimed to (1) examine the effects of deposited bitumen (Bit) and asphaltene (Asp) on the North Saskatchewan River (NSR) water quality, focusing on organic carbon and nitrogen; (2) assess the impact of Bit or Asp on sedimentary nitrification; and (3) explore the response of the microbial community to Bit or Asp. Laboratory-scale abiotic (no sediment) and biotic treatments with fresh (NH₃-deprived) sediment and NH₃-enriched sediment were performed at 20 ± 1°C for up to 120 days. Results of the abiotic and biotic treatments with fresh sediment indicated that up to 5 mg/L of total organic carbon (TOC) or nitrogen in the form of NH3 leached from both deposited Asp and Bit into the overlaying water. Considering the relatively low background concentrations of TOC (2.19 ± 0.29 mg/L) and nitrogen (0.07 ± 0.02 mg/L) in the NSR water, the leached compounds could contribute to the overall organic carbon and nitrogen concentrations in the river. A comparison of the unexposed NH3-enriched sediment (Ctl) and Bit-exposed NH3-enriched sediment showed that exposure of nitrifying communities did not affect ammonia oxidation but decreased nitrite (50 %) and nitrate (30 %) production. Additionally, the sedimentary microbial community composition altered from its initial composition to a new profile post-exposure to Asp or Bit. The microbial communities also responded differently to Bit exposure compared to Asp exposure. For instance, Asp-exposed sediment was dominated by a diverse group of taxa, while Bit-exposed sediment was mainly dominated by phylum Proteobacteria post-exposure. Overall, the findings indicate that deposited Bit and Asp could contribute organic carbon and nitrogen to the NSR water, impaire the sedimentary nitrification process and alter microbial community composition in the sediments.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666765725000110Oil spillHydrocarbon leachingInland freshwater sedimentWater quality impact |
| spellingShingle | Nayereh Saborimanesh Patricia Q. Tran Md Hosnay Mobarok Assessing the effect of deposited bitumen or asphaltenes on the nitrification process in the north saskatchewan river sediment Environmental Advances Oil spill Hydrocarbon leaching Inland freshwater sediment Water quality impact |
| title | Assessing the effect of deposited bitumen or asphaltenes on the nitrification process in the north saskatchewan river sediment |
| title_full | Assessing the effect of deposited bitumen or asphaltenes on the nitrification process in the north saskatchewan river sediment |
| title_fullStr | Assessing the effect of deposited bitumen or asphaltenes on the nitrification process in the north saskatchewan river sediment |
| title_full_unstemmed | Assessing the effect of deposited bitumen or asphaltenes on the nitrification process in the north saskatchewan river sediment |
| title_short | Assessing the effect of deposited bitumen or asphaltenes on the nitrification process in the north saskatchewan river sediment |
| title_sort | assessing the effect of deposited bitumen or asphaltenes on the nitrification process in the north saskatchewan river sediment |
| topic | Oil spill Hydrocarbon leaching Inland freshwater sediment Water quality impact |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666765725000110 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT nayerehsaborimanesh assessingtheeffectofdepositedbitumenorasphaltenesonthenitrificationprocessinthenorthsaskatchewanriversediment AT patriciaqtran assessingtheeffectofdepositedbitumenorasphaltenesonthenitrificationprocessinthenorthsaskatchewanriversediment AT mdhosnaymobarok assessingtheeffectofdepositedbitumenorasphaltenesonthenitrificationprocessinthenorthsaskatchewanriversediment |