Remediation of sediments contaminated with drill cuttings - A review of field monitoring and experimental data for validation of the ERMS sediment module

Abstract

During the period 1989-2004 biodegradation of the organic phase of drill cuttings have been investigated in the mesocosm laboratory at Marine Research Station at Solbergstrand. In this report, cross-test calculations of degradation rates for total hydrocarbons (THC) and poly-alpha-olefins (PAO) were compared with loss rates determined from off-shore monitoring data. Degradation rates for THC, PAO, more recently introduced olefins and esters were correlated with effects on biogeochemical and biological variables to provide a link with the sediment oxygen concentration modelled in ERMS.