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Ethanol-Containing Fuel Spills Enhanced Natural Trace Element Release from Sediments in an Experimental Setting

Experimental field research simulating hydrocarbon spills by researchers from the USGS (including RBPGL), Virginia Tech, and the University of St. Thomas showed that mixed ethanol and petroleum-based fuels increased the rate by which arsenic and other natural trace elements are released from aquifer sediments to groundwater when compared to petroleum-based fuels alone.

Read more about this study here.

A scientist collects a groundwater sample with a syringe
A scientist collects a groundwater sample to analyze for arsenic and other chemicals from a well installed in a wetland at the National Crude Oil Spill Fate and Natural Attenuation Research Site, near Bemidji, Minnesota. Researchers collected samples over a two-month period to quantify rates of arsenic release from aquifer sediments as organic carbon in the form of petroleum byproducts and ethanol biodegraded in the aquifer. (Credit: Jennifer T. McGuire, University of St. Thomas)

 

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