Effects of Oil Shale Leachate on Phytoplankton Productivity
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Utah State University DigitalCommons@USU Reports Utah Water Research Laboratory January 1979 Effects of Oil Shale Leachate on Phytoplankton Productivity Mary Louise Cleave V. Dean Adams Donald B. Porcella Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/water_rep Part of the Civil and Environmental Engineering Commons, and the Water Resource Management Commons Recommended Citation Cleave, Mary Louise; Adams, V. Dean; and Porcella, Donald B., "Effects of Oil Shale Leachate on Phytoplankton Productivity" (1979). Reports. Paper 544. https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/water_rep/544 This Report is brought to you for free and open access by the Utah Water Research Laboratory at DigitalCommons@USU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Reports by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@USU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Effects of Oil Shale Leachate on Phytoplankton Productivity Mary Louise Cleave V. Dean Adams Donald B. Porcella Utah Water Research Laboratory College of Engineering Utah State University Logan, Utah 84322 WATER QUALITY SERIES December 1979 UWRL/Q-79/05 EFFECTS OF OIL SHALE LEACHATE ON PHYTOPLANKTON PRODUCTIVITY by Mary Louise Cleave V. Dean Adams Donald B. Porcella WATER QUALITY SERIES UWRL/Q79/05 Utah Water Research Laboratory College of Engineering Utah State University Logan, Utah 84322 December 1979 ABSTRACT The effect of oil shale leachate and SalInIty additions on the ~roductivity of freshwater algae were studied In the laboratory uSIng batch bioassays. These batch bioassays were used to screen variations of ten salts in single and mUltiple addItIons of all possible combina t ions of the ten salts; water extractions of dIfferent processed and unprocessed oil shales; and the concentrat Ion effects of both the salts from 0.3 N to 0.05 N as NaGl and the oil shale extractions on the ~rowth of standard test algae and IndIgenous algae from Lake PowelL The batch bottle bloassays were conducted following the standard al~al assay procedure as closely as possible. Variations in the standard algal assay procedure included media varIation with the use of indigenous al?,al species Isolated from Lake Powell and the use of three different algal species for test innoculum in the bioassay procedure. The bIomass was monitored uSlnl'! optical density, chloro phyll ~ fluorescence, and/or cell counts. The indigenous algal speCIes were found to be neFatively affected but more tolerant to all salinIty additIons than the standard test alga. The growth of the Indigenous algal speCIes (Scenedesmus bijuga) was also st imulated by add I ng 011 shale ext ract at lower concent ra t ions. HIgher concentrat Ions of oil shale leachate inhibited the Indigenous algal growth. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This research was sponsored by the State of Utah (WA24), the Utah Water Research Laboratory (UWRL), and Utah State University. The authors wish to express theIr apprecIation for the assistance provided by Paula Bramble in laboratory analyses. A special thanks is also expressed to other personnel of the UWRL who contributed greatly to the completion of thIS research. Sincere thanks are also extended to the UWRL for providing laboratory equipment and facilities neces sary to complete this study and to the capable editorial and secretar ial staff for their assistance in preparation and publication of this report. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION 1 Definition of Problem . 1 Objectives of This Study 1 LITERATURE REVIEW . 3 Oil Shale Development 3 Commercial Extraction Operations 3 Mining Operations 4 Prerefinement Operations . 4 Pollution Potential of the Oil Shale Industry 5 Solid Waste Disposal 5 Water Use . 5 Liquid Waste Disposal 6 Dissolved Solids and Freshwater Phytoplankton 6 Total Dissolved Solids 6 Major Cations . 7 Other Metals 7 Required Elements for Phytoplankton Growth 8 Osmotic Role of Dissolved Solids 8 Phytoplankton Effects on Salinity 9 Other Potential Leachate Components and Freshwater Phyto- plankton 9 Organics 9 Trace Metals 9 Algal Toxicity Tests Using Batch Bottle Bioassays 9 Test Algae. 10 Sources of Variation 10 MATERIALS AND METHODS 11 Algal Isolation and Culture Maintenance 11 Regular Bioassay Monitoring Techniques 11 Special Analyses 13 Oil Shale Extraction Procedures 13 Bioassays . 14 Data and Statistical Analyses 17 RESULTS 19 Effects of Increased Salt Concentrations on the Productivity of Selenastrum 19 Effects of Single Salt Additions . 19 Effects of Single Salt Additions on Acclimated Selenastrum. 24 Effects of Two Salt Additions 24 Effects of Increased Salt Concentrations on the Productivity of Synedr~ . 24 v TABLE OF CONTENTS (CONTINUED) Effects of Single Salt Additions 24 Effects of Two Salt Additions . 32 Effects of Salt Additions 32 Effects of Increased Salt Concentrations on the Productivity of Three Algal Species 32 Effects of Single Salt Additions 32 Evaluation of Elutriates and Leachates of Oil Shale 41 Chemical Evaluations . .. ~ 41 Effects of Oil Shale Elutriates on Acclimated Selenastrum. 42 Effects of Oil Shale Elutriates on ~~~~~~ 42 Comparison of the Salt Effects to the Oil Shale Elutriate Effects on the Productivity of 44 DISCUSSION 47 Utilization of Batch Bottle Bioassay for Toxicity Testing 47 Test Algae . 47 Variations in Biomass Monitoring Techniques 47 Effects of Salinity on Freshwater Phytoplankton 48 Concentration Effects . 48 Effects of Different Ionic Species . 48 Evaluation of Concentration Measurements . 49 Evaluation of the Corps of Engineers Standard Elutriation Procedure. ....... 49 Effects of Oil Shale Leachates and Elutriates on Phyto- plankton Productivity .. ... 49 Application of the Bioassay Results to the Colorado River System 50 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 51 Conclusions 51 Recommendations for Further Research 51 REFERENCES 53 APPENDICES 59 Appendix A: Analytical Results of the Oil Shale Leachate and Elutriat~ Analysis . 61 Appendix B: Listings of X and ~ Bioassay Results 67 vi LIST OF FIGURES 1. Analysis of a Green River oil shale and Uden 1974) . 3 2. Location of federal oil shale tracts in Utah (USDI 1973) 3 3. Flow diagram of 50,000-barrel-per-day underground oil shale mine and associated oil shale surface processing units (Conkle et al. 1974) . 4 4. Demand and supply for water: 50,000 barrel per day plant with an underground mine and surface retort at tracts U-a and U-b (cu ft. per sec.) (Conkle et al. 1974) 5 5. Oil shale elutriation technique number 1 15 6. Oil shale elutriation technique number 2 (Keeley and 1974) . 15 7. The up-flow column for leaching oil shale (Maase et al. 1975) , 16 8. The sieve analysis of oil shale 16 9. The regional effects of the cations added to the media (bioassay 2) 28 10. The regional effects of the anions added to the media (bioassay 3) 30 11 The relative inhibition of the X identified by the cation present growth (bioassay 4) 31 12. The relative inhibition of the X identified by the anion present during growth (bioassay 4) 31 13. Concentration effects on the growth of Scenedesmus (bioassay 10) 44 14. Comparison of the growth of Scenedesmus with the addition of BR and BP elutriates . 45 15. Decrease in the electrical conductivity of the culture medium plus AP leachate (20 ml) in the presence of growth (bioassay 10) . 45 16. Comparison of the growth of Scened.esmus grown in the presence of BP oil shale elutriate and its matching salt control 46 17. A beta toxicity curve (Luckey and Venugopal 1977) 46 vii LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Estimated salinity increases at Imperial Dam (Siggia and Uden 1974) 6 2. Experimental results of the percolation experiment conducted on TaSCa spent oil shale retorting residue (CSU 1971) 7 3. Identification matrix for algal bioassays . 12 4. The synthetic algal nutrient medium, AAM (USEPA 1971) 13 5. Salt additions to AAM for Lake Powell synthetic medium (Medine et al. 1977) . 13 6. An index of the chemical analyses performed 14 7. Fluorescence monitored for mixed algal cultures 16 8. Summary of probable responses for algal assay growth parameters 17 9. Duncan's multiple range analyses of the biomass data from the initial bioassay with Selenastru~ 20 10. Single salt additions to AAM for bioassay 2 and the effects on Selenastrum 21 11. Split plot factorial analysis of variance of single salt additions to Selenastrum (bioassay 2) 22 12. Summary of completely randomized design analyses of variance for Selenastrum single salt additions (bioassay 2) . 23 13. Linear relations between salinity variables and different estimates of biomass for single salt additions to Selenastrum 23 14. Duncan's multiple range analysis for single salt additions to Selenastrum (bioassay 2) 25 15. Duncan's multiple range analysis for single salt additions to acclimated Selenastrum (bioassay 2) . 26 16. Duncan's multiple range analysis for two salt additions to Selenastrum (bioassay 2) 27 17. Linear relation between different estimates of biomass for two salt additions to Selenastrum (bioassay 3) 28 18. Single salt additions to AAM and Synedra (bioassay 4) 29 19. Summary of analyses of variance for Synedra single salt additions (bioassay 4) , , . 30 20. Linear relations between different estimates of biomass for single salt additions to ~nedra (bioassay 4) . 32 21. Duncan's multiple range analysis of single salt additions to Synedra (bioassay 4) 33 22. Duncan's mUltiple range analysis for two salt additions to ~edra (bioassay 5) . 34 ix LIST OF TABLES (CONTINUED) Table 23. Duncan's multiple range of 3 and 4 salt additions to (bioassay 6) 35 24. Duncan's multiple range is of mUltiple salt additions to Synedra (bioassay 7) . 36 25. Linear relations between different estimates of biomass for multiple salt additions to Synedra (bioassay 6 and 7) 37 26. Duncan's multiple range test for Anabaena (bioassay 9). 38 27. Duncan's multiple range test for Synedra (bioassay 9) 39 28. Duncan's multiple range test for Scenedesmus (bioassay 9) 40 29. Linear relations between different estimates of biomass for le salt additions to three algal genera 41 30.