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The Use of Molecular Techniques at Hazardous Waste Sites
Citation:
KEELEY, ANN. The Use of Molecular Techniques at Hazardous Waste Sites. Presented at The 2010 National Association of Remedial Project Managers (NARPM) Annual Training Program, Washington, DC, May 27, 2010.
Impact/Purpose:
To provide a much more in-depth picture of microbial function, diversity, activity, and interdependence.
Description:
It is clear that typical protocols used for soil analysis would certainly fail to adequately interrogate ground-water treatment systems unless they were substantially modified. The modifications found necessary to compensate for the low biomass include molecular tools and techniques. In these disturbed environments, there may be a need for more effective DNA extraction methods to magnify the sample size which would enable improved understanding of the microbial ecology of the subsurface. As more specific gene probes are developed, improved DNA extraction techniques could provide a much more in-depth picture of microbial function, diversity, activity, and interdependence. It must be kept in mind that nearly exponential changes in microbial biomarkers can occur due to contamination and remediation while the geochemical parameters remain far more stable in time and space. There is a definite need for the application of more accurate, reliable and statistically responsive indicators of microbial reactions to geochemical stressors.
