From: Madigan, et al. “Brock Biology of Microorganisms”

1. From: Madigan, et al. “Brock Biology of Microorganisms”

2. From: Madigan, et al. “Brock Biology of Microorganisms”

3. From: Madigan, et al. “Brock Biology of Microorganisms”

4. From: Madigan, et al. “Brock Biology of Microorganisms”

5. From: Madigan, et al. “Brock Biology of Microorganisms”

6. From: Madigan, et al. “Brock Biology of Microorganisms”

7. From: Madigan, et al. “Brock Biology of Microorganisms”

10. Site Characterization • Geology: • Nature of geologic deposits • Presence of fractures • Thickness and extent of aquifers • Location of confining units • Particle-size distribution • Hydrology: • Porosity • Hydraulic conductivity • Direction and slope of natural hydraulic gradient

11. Site Characterization Cont. • Geochemistry: • Supply and consumption of electron donors and acceptors • Nutrients, alkalinity, Eh, pH, major ions • Type and Distribution of Contaminant: • Location, type, and mass of contamination source • Extent and concentration distribution of contaminant plume

12. plume: a continuous emission from a point source of contamination that has a starting point and a noticeable pathway

13. Typical hydrocarbon plume undergoing natural attenuation

14. From: Rittmann & McCarty “Environmental Biotechnology”

15. From: Rittmann & McCarty “Environmental Biotechnology”

16. From: Rittmann & McCarty “Environmental Biotechnology”

17. From: Rittmann & McCarty “Environmental Biotechnology”

18. Treatability Studies • Overall goal: verify that the in situ approach has a high likelihood of succeeding • Number and type of treatability studies depends upon characteristics of site and contaminants • When uncertainty is high, extensive efforts are required

20. Level 1 • “Is biodegradation a feasible option with the contaminants at the site?” • Tests not needed when biodegradation has been shown previously • Level 1 studies should be as simple as possible (e.g. microcosm studies) • Yes or no answer on feasibility of biodegradation

21. Level 2 • Studies to provide: • estimates of rate of reaction • to identify complicating factors • Can be performed in many types of systems • Intensity for sampling and analysis is greater than in Level 1 • Should be performed with actual soil, aquifer, and/or groundwater samples • Should yield reasonable estimates of the rate of reaction in situ

22. Level 2 Questions • Functional relationship between concentration and biodegradation? • How do concentrations of other substrates (electron donor/acceptor) affect reaction rate? • Will environmental factors affect rates? • Do intermediates form?

23. Level 3 • “Can the in situ bioremediation succeed under the site-specific conditions actually existing?” • Addresses “real-world” factors • Performed on a small portion of the contaminated site – should be representative of site in terms of hydrogeology & contamination

24. From: Atlas & Philp, “Bioremediation: Applied Microbial Solutions for Real-World Environmental Cleanup”

25. From: Atlas & Philp, “Bioremediation: Applied Microbial Solutions for Real-World Environmental Cleanup”

26. From: Atlas & Philp, “Bioremediation: Applied Microbial Solutions for Real-World Environmental Cleanup”