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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Bioremediation of former manufactured gas plant sites

Conference ·
OSTI ID:5001576

Gasification of coal and crude oil was extensively used in the United States to produce medium to high heating value gas during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Consequently, many of these plants disposed of process wastes and less valuable byproducts onsite, contaminating the soils with coal tar wastes, light oils, naphthalene, etc. Polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH's) are components of coal tar wastes and other wastes that remain at many of these town gas sites. The Institute of Gas Technology (IGT) has been developing several techniques to improve biodegradation of town gas plant wastes such as multi-ring PAH's. These techniques include the use of bioemulsifiers, chemical oxidants or biologically produced chemicals, PAH-degrading IGT aerobic and anaerobic bacterial cultures developed through enrichment techniques, methane utilizing organisms (methanotrophs), fungi, and appropriate co-metabolic and/or enzyme-inducing substrates. Depending upon the waste type and concentration, and hydrogeochemical characteristics of the site, a logical combination of some of these techniques can be used to remediate the site. 9 refs., 15 figs., 3 tabs.

Research Organization:
Institute of Gas Technology, Chicago, IL (USA)
Sponsoring Organization:
IGT
OSTI ID:
5001576
Report Number(s):
CONF-890526-3; ON: TI90007591
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English