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Stoyanovich SS, Saunders LJ, Yang Z, Hanson ML, Hollebone BP, Orihel DM, Palace V, Rodriguez-Gil JL, Mirnaghi FS, Shah K, Blais JM. Chemical Weathering Patterns of Diluted Bitumen Spilled into Freshwater Limnocorrals. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2023. [PMID: 37267462 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.2c05468] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Due to the sudden nature of oil spills, few controlled studies have documented how oil weathers immediately following accidental release into a natural lake environment. Here, we evaluated the weathering patterns of Cold Lake Winter Blend, a diluted bitumen (dilbit) product, by performing a series of controlled spills into limnocorrals installed in a freshwater lake in Northern Ontario, Canada. Using a regression-based design, we added seven different dilbit volumes, ranging from 1.5 to 180 L, resulting in oil-to-water ratios between 1:71,000 (v/v) and 1:500 (v/v). We monitored changes in the composition of various petroleum hydrocarbons (PHCs), including n-alkanes, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and oil biomarkers in dilbit over time, as it naturally weathered for 70 days. Depletion rate constants (kD) of n-alkanes and PAHs ranged from 0.0009 to 0.41 d-1 and 0.0008 to 0.38 d-1, respectively. There was no significant relationship between kD and spill volume, suggesting that spill size did not influence the depletion of petroleum hydrocarbons from the slick. Diagnostic ratios calculated from concentrations of n-alkanes, isoprenoids, and PAHs indicated that evaporation and photooxidation were major processes contributing to dilbit weathering, whereas dissolution and biodegradation were less important. These results demonstrate the usefulness of large scale field studies carried out under realistic environmental conditions to elucidate the role of different weathering processes following a dilbit spill.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Zeyu Yang
- Emergencies Science and Technology Section, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Ottawa, Ontario K1V 1C7, Canada
| | - Mark L Hanson
- Department of Environment and Geography, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2, Canada
| | - Bruce P Hollebone
- Emergencies Science and Technology Section, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Ottawa, Ontario K1V 1C7, Canada
| | - Diane M Orihel
- Department of Biology and School of Environmental Studies, Queen's University, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada
| | - Vince Palace
- International Institute for Sustainable Development, Experimental Lakes Area, 111 Lombard Avenue, Suite 325, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3N 0T4, Canada
| | - Jose L Rodriguez-Gil
- Department of Environment and Geography, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2, Canada
- International Institute for Sustainable Development, Experimental Lakes Area, 111 Lombard Avenue, Suite 325, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3N 0T4, Canada
| | - Fatemeh S Mirnaghi
- Emergencies Science and Technology Section, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Ottawa, Ontario K1V 1C7, Canada
| | - Keval Shah
- Emergencies Science and Technology Section, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Ottawa, Ontario K1V 1C7, Canada
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Xin Q, Saborimanesh N, Greer CW, Farooqi H, Dettman HD. The effect of temperature on hydrocarbon profiles and the microbial community composition in North Saskatchewan River water during mesoscale tank tests of diluted bitumen spills. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 859:160161. [PMID: 36379338 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.160161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2022] [Revised: 10/21/2022] [Accepted: 11/09/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Despite many studies of diluted bitumen (DB) behavior during spills in saltwater, limited information is available on DB behavior in fresh water. This study examined the collective weathering processes on changes of fresh DB spilled in the North Saskatchewan River water and sediment mixture in a mesoscale spill tank under average air/water temperatures of 14 °C/15 °C and 6 °C/2 °C. Temporal changes of the hydrocarbon and microbial community compositions in the water column were assessed during the two 35-day tests under intermittent wave action. The contents of total organic carbon (TOC), benzene/toluene/ethylbenzene/xylenes (BTEX) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in water decreased with time during both tests. The final contents remained at higher values in warm water (15 °C) than in cold water (2 °C) after the collective weathering processes. A quick response of the main phyla, Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria, was observed, where the members of Proteobacteria enriched during both DB spills. In contrast, the members of Actinobacteria reduced with time. The microbial shifts coincided with the changes of PAHs in the waters at both temperatures. A comparison of the physical properties and chemical compositions of fresh and weathered DBs at both temperatures showed that the oil had undergone weathering that increased oil density and viscosity due to losing the light oil fraction with boiling points < 204 °C and emulsifying with water. This corresponded to losses of 19.0 wt% and 17.2 wt% of the fresh DB at 15 °C and 2 °C tests, respectively. For organic compounds in the DB with boiling points > 204 °C, there were small losses of saturates and 2- & 3-ring PAH aromatics (more during the 15 °C test than the 2 °C test), and negligible losses in the subfractions of resins and asphaltenes by the ends of the tests. <1.0 wt% of the DB was recovered from the bottom sediment, regardless of the temperature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qin Xin
- Natural Resources Canada (NRCan), CanmetENERGY, 1 Oil Patch Drive, Devon, AB T9G 1A8, Canada.
| | - Nayereh Saborimanesh
- Natural Resources Canada (NRCan), CanmetENERGY, 1 Oil Patch Drive, Devon, AB T9G 1A8, Canada
| | - Charles W Greer
- National Research Council Canada, Energy, Mining and Environment Research Centre, 6100 Royalmount Ave., Montreal, Quebec H4P 2R2, Canada; McGill University, Natural Resource Sciences, 21111 Lakeshore, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec H9X 3V9, Canada
| | - Hena Farooqi
- Natural Resources Canada (NRCan), CanmetENERGY, 1 Oil Patch Drive, Devon, AB T9G 1A8, Canada
| | - Heather D Dettman
- Natural Resources Canada (NRCan), CanmetENERGY, 1 Oil Patch Drive, Devon, AB T9G 1A8, Canada
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Patterson SA, Denton DTJ, Hasler CT, Blais JM, Hanson ML, Hollebone BP, Rodriguez-Gil JL, Langlois VS, Patey G, Yang Z, Orihel DM. Resilience of larval wood frogs (Rana sylvatica) to hydrocarbons and other compounds released from naturally weathered diluted bitumen in a boreal lake. AQUATIC TOXICOLOGY (AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS) 2022; 245:106128. [PMID: 35255276 DOI: 10.1016/j.aquatox.2022.106128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2021] [Revised: 02/17/2022] [Accepted: 02/25/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The risks to aquatic wildlife from spills of diluted bitumen (dilbit) into inland waters are poorly understood. In this paper, we describe the response of larval wood frogs (Rana sylvatica) to hydrocarbons and other compounds released from experimental spills of dilbit in a temperate boreal lake. To simulate a wide range of environmentally relevant oil spill scenarios, different volumes of Cold Lake Winter Blend dilbit (0, 1.5, 2.9, 5.5, 18, 42, 82, and 180 L) were added to 10 m diameter in-lake limnocorrals. Larvae (n = 360) were reared (from Gosner Stage (GS) 25 to ∼42) in land-based aquatic microcosms, where they were first exposed to clean water during a 2-week baseline phase, and then (at GS ∼30), to contaminated water withdrawn from the limnocorrals for 3 weeks. We observed no statistically significant trends in survival, growth, or development of larvae as a consequence of exposure to the chemical compounds released from naturally weathered dilbit. Likewise, neither cytochrome P450 1A biomarkers nor levels of thyroid hormones in wood frogs near metamorphic climax were significantly related to volume of the oil spills. However, there was a modest statistically significant decrease in larval activity (up to 8.7% relative to the control), but no change in other behavioral metrics (i.e., sociality or space use). Our work adds to the limited body of literature on the effects of unconventional oils on aquatic wildlife and helps to inform risk assessments regarding pipeline projects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel A Patterson
- School of Environmental Studies, Queen's University, 116 Barrie Street, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada
| | - Daniel T J Denton
- Department of Biology, The University of Winnipeg, 515 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg, MB R3B 2E9, Canada
| | - Caleb T Hasler
- Department of Biology, The University of Winnipeg, 515 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg, MB R3B 2E9, Canada.
| | - Jules M Blais
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - Mark L Hanson
- Department of Environment and Geography, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2, Canada
| | - Bruce P Hollebone
- Emergencies Science and Technology Section, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Ottawa, ON K1A OH3, Canada
| | - Jose Luis Rodriguez-Gil
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada; Department of Environment and Geography, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2, Canada; International Institute for Sustainable Development-Experimental Lakes Area, Winnipeg, MB R3B 0T4, Canada
| | - Valérie S Langlois
- Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique, Centre Eau Terre Environnement, 490 rue de la Couronne, Québec, QC G1K 9A9, Canada
| | - Géraldine Patey
- Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique, Centre Eau Terre Environnement, 490 rue de la Couronne, Québec, QC G1K 9A9, Canada
| | - Zeyu Yang
- Emergencies Science and Technology Section, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Ottawa, ON K1A OH3, Canada
| | - Diane M Orihel
- School of Environmental Studies, Queen's University, 116 Barrie Street, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada; Department of Biology, Queen's University, 116 Barrie Street, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada.
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