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U.S. Department of Energy
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Intrinsic bioremediation of chlorinated solvents at the St. Joseph, MI aquifer - Lake Michigan interface

Conference ·
OSTI ID:111532
; ;  [1]
  1. Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI (United States); and others
The anaerobic aquifer at the St. Joseph, MI National Priority List (NPL) site has been contaminated with trichloroethylene (TCE) of up to 160 mg/L, which in the last decade has been shown to have dechlorinated to cis- and trans-dichloroethylene (DCE), 1, 1-dichloroethylene, vinyl chloride (VC), ethylene, and ethane. Previously, it was established that the occurrence of these products was due to intrinsic bioremediation, based on both laboratory investigations and temporal monitoring of the groundwater, which showed significant levels of ethene and methane. The flux of all alkyl halides into Lake Michigan is of major public concern due to the suspected carcinogenicity of VC. Moreover, as the plume moves towards and emanates into the aerobic surface water, the dominant redox conditions can be expected to change due to wave action and vertical seepage which promote the interchange of oxygen-rich lake water with the anaerobic groundwater. This phenomenon is likely to have an impact on the microbial community structure, and thus the biodegradative processes. The current presentation provides the results of field investigations at the interface with Lake Michigan, and presents some preliminary results on the fate of chlorinated solvents at a simulated interface between earobic and anaerobic conditions using both experimental and modeling approaches.
OSTI ID:
111532
Report Number(s):
CONF-9504110--
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English