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Contamination of soil with petroleum products is a major environmental problem. Therefore, one of the issues related to environmental protection is assessment of the ability of soil microbial populations to biodegrade petroleum-derived substances. The aim of the study was to compare the dynamics and fractionation of carbon isotopes during biodegradation of selected petroleum products (petrol and diesel) in soil characterised by optimal humidity for plants. The analyses were performed on soil material sampled from the arable layer of a fertile soil (chernozem) in central Poland. The soil samples were treated with two petroleum substances, i.e. unleaded 95-octane petrol and diesel fuel. The dynamics of changes was assessed by monitoring carbon dioxide content and oxygen content in the headspace over the soil surface. Additionally, the ratio of delta C-13 carbon isotopes was measured in the substrates added (petrol and diesel) and in CO2 emitted to the atmosphere. In summary, it should be concluded that the rate of biodegradation of petrol was higher than that of diesel fuel. In the case of petrol, the process of stabilisation of the CO2 concentration over the soil surface was completed within several days, whereas in diesel the process lasted at least a few weeks. The Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry technique and analysis of changes in delta C-13 in the samples indicated selective biodegradation of hydrocarbons contained in petrol and diesel fuel. Lighter fractions (constituting a greater proportion in petrol than in diesel) are metabolised more readily than heavier fractions.
