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Chemical Weathering Patterns of Diluted Bitumen Spilled into Freshwater Limnocorrals

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Download Hi-Res ImageDownload to MS-PowerPointCite This:Environ. Sci. Technol. 2023, 57, 25, 9266-9276
    Occurrence, Fate, and Transport of Aquatic and Terrestrial Contaminants

    Chemical Weathering Patterns of Diluted Bitumen Spilled into Freshwater Limnocorrals
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    • Sawyer S. Stoyanovich
      Sawyer S. Stoyanovich
      Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario K1N 6N5, Canada
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    • Leslie J. Saunders
      Leslie J. Saunders
      Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario K1N 6N5, Canada
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      Orcidhttps://orcid.org/0000-0003-4444-6445
    • Zeyu Yang
      Zeyu Yang
      Emergencies Science and Technology Section, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Ottawa, Ontario K1V 1C7, Canada
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    • Mark L. Hanson
      Mark L. Hanson
      Department of Environment and Geography, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2, Canada
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    • Bruce P. Hollebone
      Bruce P. Hollebone
      Emergencies Science and Technology Section, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Ottawa, Ontario K1V 1C7, Canada
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    • Diane M. Orihel
      Diane M. Orihel
      Department of Biology and School of Environmental Studies, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada
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      Orcidhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-6933-3650
    • Vince Palace
      Vince Palace
      International Institute for Sustainable Development, Experimental Lakes Area, 111 Lombard Avenue, Suite 325, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3N 0T4, Canada
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    • Jose L. Rodriguez-Gil
      Jose L. Rodriguez-Gil
      Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario K1N 6N5, Canada
      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
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      Orcidhttps://orcid.org/0000-0001-9325-9131
    • Fatemeh S. Mirnaghi
      Fatemeh S. Mirnaghi
      Emergencies Science and Technology Section, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Ottawa, Ontario K1V 1C7, Canada
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      Orcidhttps://orcid.org/0000-0001-9530-4522
    • Keval Shah
      Keval Shah
      Emergencies Science and Technology Section, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Ottawa, Ontario K1V 1C7, Canada
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    • Jules M. Blais*
      Jules M. Blais
      Department of Biology  and  Department of Earth and Atmospheric Science, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario K1N 6N5, Canada
      *Email: [email protected]. Tel.: +1 (613) 562-5800 ext. 6650.
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      Orcidhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-7188-3598
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    Environmental Science & Technology

    Cite this: Environ. Sci. Technol. 2023, 57, 25, 9266–9276
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    https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.2c05468
    Published June 2, 2023
    Copyright © 2023 American Chemical Society
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    Abstract

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    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.

    Copyright © 2023 American Chemical Society

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    Supporting Information

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    The Supporting Information is available free of charge at https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.est.2c05468.

    • Additional methods related to experimental setup and analytical procedures, identified targets and abbreviations, relative standard deviation, commonly used weathering ratios, first order n-alkane rate constants, first order alkylated PAHs, regression outputs, comparison of rate constants, dilbit slick sampling, principal component analysis, PAH loss, differences in slick appearance, and compound-specific regression outputs (PDF)

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    Environmental Science & Technology

    Cite this: Environ. Sci. Technol. 2023, 57, 25, 9266–9276
    Click to copy citationCitation copied!
    https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.2c05468
    Published June 2, 2023
    Copyright © 2023 American Chemical Society
    Request reuse permissions

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