Bioremediation of PCB-contaminated soil at the Y-12 Plant
The technical feasibility of bioremediation of soils contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) was investigated using six in-situ lysimeters and two slurry bioreactors during the summer and fall of 1987. Microbial degradation of PCBs was characterized, and microbial cultures were isolated and characterized. Indigenous microorganisms present in contaminated soils from the floodplain of Bear Creek were shown to be capable of degrading monochlorinated biphenyl. Evidence included production of radiolabeled carbon dioxide from radiolabeled substrate and microbial characterization using gene probes and signature lipid analyses. Evidence was also obtained for dechlorination of highly chlorinated PCBs under laboratory conditions by microbial cultures isolated from other contaminated soils. These results are quite encouraging for further development of bioremediation technologies for PCBs. In-situ treatment of the soils in lysimeters by aeration/mixing and water appeared to stimulate growth of microorganisms and increase the biodegradation of monochlorinated biphenyl in laboratory experiments using soil samples from the lysimeters. The effects of additional nutrients, carbon source, and inocula were unclear from these tests; only one condition for each parameter was tested in the limited number of lysimeters. 12 refs., 11 figs., 14 tabs.
- Research Organization:
- Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (USA)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC05-84OR21400
- OSTI ID:
- 6770309
- Report Number(s):
- ORNL/TM-10750; ON: DE89001335
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: Portions of this document are illegible in microfiche products
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
CHLORINATED ALIPHATIC HYDROCARBONS
BIODEGRADATION
LYSIMETERS
FIELD TESTS
SOILS
AERATION
MICROORGANISMS
REMEDIAL ACTION
TRACER TECHNIQUES
Y-12 PLANT
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
DECOMPOSITION
HALOGENATED ALIPHATIC HYDROCARBONS
ISOTOPE APPLICATIONS
MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
ORGANIC CHLORINE COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
TESTING
US AEC
US DOE
US ERDA
US ORGANIZATIONS
510200* - Environment
Terrestrial- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport- (-1989)
550700 - Microbiology