Enhanced bioremediation process: A case study of effectiveness on PAH contamination in soils at a former wood-treating site

Conference · Wed Dec 31 04:00:00 EST 1997

OSTI ID:354300

Mills, W F ^[1]; Matens, B L ^[2]; Buchalter, D S ^[3]; Montgomery, D N ^[4]

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1. Miltech Environmental, Inc., Tucker, GA (United States)
2. Dames and Moore, Baton Rouge, LA (United States)
3. EMCON, Norcross, GA (United States)
4. Georgia Dept. of Transportation, Forest Park, GA (United States). Office of Materials and Research

The Enhanced Bioremediation Process (EBP) technology is an exsitu biodegradation process that utilizes bacterial and fungal inoculants to effectively oxidize and bioremediate persistent hard to degrade organics in contaminated soils. The EBP fungal inoculants produce highly reactive extracellular peroxidase enzymes that can oxidize and degrade lignin, a complex, natural polymer composed of phenylpropane units that is resistant to decay. The lignin peroxidase enzymes are highly nonspecific because of their ability to oxidize the heterogenic lignin molecule, and are capable of degrading a wide variety of complex organic compounds. Because the chemical sub-structure of lignin (1,2-aryl diethers, alkyl sidechains and connected aryl systems) resembles that of many persistent organic compounds, the EBP inoculants are very effective in biodegrading similar hazardous organic pollutants in contaminated soils. As an inadvertent by-product of these biochemical processes, the EBP organisms reduce the organic constituents to a soluble form. In a soluble form, the indigenous organisms can further degrade the contaminants. The technology is applied in such a manner as to maximize the activity of the indigenous organisms by establishing optimum growth conditions. The efficacy of the EBP technology in degrading persistent environmental pollutants has been documented at both the bench scale and pilot demonstration levels. A recently completed field pilot demonstration was conducted at a creosote contaminated site. The demonstration entailed the treatment of approximately 700 tons of soil contaminated with PAH constituents. Laboratory analyses of pre and post-treated soils indicate that total average PAH concentrations in many samples were reduced by greater than 91 percent over a two month treatment period.

• OSTI ID: 354300
• Report Number(s): CONF-970677--
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
BIODEGRADATION
INDUSTRIAL WASTES
POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS
REMEDIAL ACTION
SOILS
TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT