Citation:

BATTELLE. DEMONSTRATION OF BIODEGRADATION OF DENSE, NONAQUEOUS-PHASE LIQUIDS (DNAPL)THROUGH BIOSTIMULATION AND BIOAUGMENTATION AT LAUNCH COMPLEX 34 IN CAPE CANAVERAL AIR FORCE STATION, FLORIDA. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, EPA/540/R-07/007 (NTIS PB2008-103891), 2007.

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Description:

Biostimulation involves stimulating indigenous microbial cultures by adding nutrients whereas bioaugmentation involves introducing microbial cultures that are particularly adept at degrading these contaminants into the target aquifer. This demonstration involved biostimulation followed by bioaugmentation in the same test plot. During the biostimulation phase of treatment, an electron donor (ethanol) was added to provide nutrients for indigenous microorganisms and stimulate CVOC degradation. During the bioaugmentation phase, KB-1™, a consortium of naturally occurring microorganisms known to completely dechlorinate high concentrations of TCE to ethene, was added to the test plot. This project was conducted in the Upper Sand Unit at Cape Canaveral Launch Complex 34. At Launch Complex 34, the DNAPL source zone was not large enough to conduct a control demonstration using biostimulation alone for comparison. Therefore, the sequential treatment of biostimulation and bioaugmentation was evaluated at Launch Complex 34 in the same test plot. The soils exhibited a decline of TCE mass (as calculated both by linear interpolation and by kriging) due to the biostimulation and bioaugmentation treatment ranged from 98.6 to 99.7%, with an estimated aver­age decline of 99%. Dissolved TCE concentrations, as measured in the monitoring wells, declined substantially in the Upper Sand Unit of the demonstration area following the bioaugmentation treatment. DCE levels increased following biostimulation, and then decreased after bioaugmentation. Vinyl chloride levels increased immediately after biostimulation and bioaugmentation, and then decreased during subsequent post-demonstration monitoring. Ethene concentrations increased substantially toward the end of the demonstration. Net Present Value Analyses showed that the cost of source treatment with biostimulation and bioaugmentation was lower than the PV of the costs of long-term treatment with a pump-and-treat system at this site.

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