SportsTurf provides current, practical and technical content on issues relevant to sports turf managers, including facilities managers. Most readers are athletic field managers from the professional level through parks and recreation, universities.
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/183915
mined that the breakdown of total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) in soil with an initial concentration of 0.05 lb. TPH per lb. of dry soil in which bermudagrass and tall fescue was maintained was reduced by 68% and 62%, respectively, after 1 year. Similarly, the concentration of TPH of refinery wastewater steadily decreased when perennial ryegrasses were introduced into an aquatic environment remediation system for 35 days. This research demonstrated that, in addition to appropriate plant species, the activity of microorganisms in soil and water is a critically important part of a bioremediation or purification project. Soils can support huge populations of beneficial microorganisms most of which live in very thin water films surrounding the soil particles. It has been estimated that one spoonful of soil may contain as many as 8,000,000 species of bacteria. In sports turfs, many microorganisms gain energy as they break down carbon-rich compounds including grass clippings, roots, root exudates and certain fertilizers (for example, methylene urea, Milorganite, urea formaldehyde…). Under favorable conditions, microbial activity in the area surrounding turfgrass roots known as the rhizosphere is most often intense, and populations of microorganisms may be as much as 10 to 100 times greater than those in adjacent soils in which there are no roots. Research regarding the direct effects of petroleum on turfgrasses and recommended treatments after a spill or leak is very limited. Research conducted on TifEagle and Tifdwarf bermudagrass, and Sea Isle seashore paspalum greens at Edison College in Fort Myers, FL demonstrated that a spill of either a biodegradable vegetable/ester-based hydraulic fluid or a petroleum/mineral-based hydraulic fluid resulted in larger areas of damaged turf and a more intense foliar burn compared to a synthetic hydraulic fluid. Two- thirds ounce of hydraulic fluid was applied in a straight line through the center of each appropriate plot from a height of about ½ inch. The greens' soil was a 90:10 sand:peat mixture, and each of the three hydraulic fluids was at ambient air temperature when applied. At 15 days after treatment, bermudagrasses and seashore paspalum in plots treated with synthetic hydraulic fluid were completely healed. A second study was conducted to investigate the effects of both spill volume (0.03 oz., 0.1 oz. and 0.17 oz.) and hydraulic fluid temperature (122oF, 140oF, 158oF and 176oF) on Tifdwarf bermudagrass maintained at greens height. By day 7, bermudagrass receiving the vegetable/ester-based hydraulic fluid or the petroleum/mineral-based hydraulic fluid was severely damaged. By day 28, bermudagrass receiving the synthetic hydraulic fluid treatments showed minimal damage compared to bermudagrass receiving the other two hydraulic fluids. The area of damaged turf and the intensity of foliar burn increased with rising fluid spill volume. While the temperature of the fluid at the time of treatment did not seem to affect the amount of damage caused by the vegetable/ester-based or the petroleum/mineral-based hydraulic fluids, the intensity of burn following the synthetic hydraulic oil treatment did increase with rising fluid temperature. Researchers at Texas A&M University studied the effects of spray applications of gasoline (low octane, leaded), motor oil (30 SAE), and hydraulic (Ford Loader and Backhoe) and brake (Johnson's Supreme Heavy Duty) fluids, and a direct application of grease (Pennzoil 705) at ambient air temperature on Tifgreen bermudagrass growing in a sandy loam soil and mowed twice each week at a 1-inch cutting height with clippings returned before the petroleum products were applied. The researchers also evaluated the perform- figure 1 A Comparison of Several Fuelsa Property Fuel Chemical Structure Fuel Material Flash Point ignition Temperature BIODIESEL C12 – C22 Fats and oils- animal fats, waste cooking oil, rapeseed, soybean 212 oF to 338 oF -300 oF DIESEL #2 C8 – C25 Crude oil 165 oF -600 oF ETHANOL CH3CH2OH Corn, small grains, cellulose 55 oF 793 oF GASOLINE C4 – C12 Crude oil -45 oF 495 oF Comments Higher percentage blends may affect seals and hoses; improved lubrication compared to that of conventional diesel fuel Lubricants may have to be added a From: Fuel Properties. U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Alternative Fuels Data Center; http://www.afdc.energy.gov/afdc/fuels/properties.html. www.stma.org SportsTurf 25