Factors affecting the leaching of nitrogen species from diatomaceous mudstone

珪藻質泥岩より溶出する各態窒素の溶出挙動への影響因子

五十嵐 敏文*; 上田 貴宏*; 洞 秀幸*; 城 まゆみ*; 工藤 元

Igarashi, Toshifumi*; Ueda, Takahiro*; Hokora, Hideyuki*; Jo, Mayumi*; Kudo, Hajime

北海道の幌延深地層研究センターの排水処理施設では、立坑や掘削土から高濃度で浸出するアンモニア態窒素を処理している。しかしアンモニア態窒素が硝化反応により硝酸態窒素になると、効率的な窒素処理ができなくなる。そのためさまざまな条件を設けたカラム試験を実施することで、掘削土における硝化反応などの窒素溶出挙動の影響因子を評価し、対策案を検討した。この試験の結果、温度や水分飽和状態が硝化反応を抑制できることが明らかになった。このことから、原位置での対策として「湛水法」を講じることで硝化反応を抑制できる可能性があると判断される。

Horonobe Underground Research Center, located in northern Hokkaido, Japan, has been excavating shafts and drifts of an underground research facility to establish general techniques for the assessment of deep geological environment. In this site, the groundwater seepage from the shafts and drifts as well as leachate from the excavated rock storage site contain high concentrations of total nitrogen. Ammonium-nitrogen (NH-N), the major nitrogen species in the seepage and leachate, has been removed by a nearby treatment facility. However, NH-N is easily oxidized to nitrite-nitrogen (NO-N) and nitrate-nitrogen (NO-N) by nitrification in the excavated rock storage site, which makes the removal process employed on site less effective. Therefore, column experiments that simulated the infiltration of rainwater through the storage site were carried out to understand the leaching and nitrification of nitrogen species and the factors affecting the phenomena. The results showed that the nitrification was inhibited when the rock layer was almost saturated, and that this process was temperature dependent. These indicate that nitrification can be mitigated by controlling hydrological conditions like water saturation.