Grantee Research Project Results

Development of the Push-Pull Test to Monitor Bioaugmentation with Dehalogenating Cultures

EPA Grant Number: R828772C006
Subproject: this is subproject number 006 , established and managed by the Center Director under grant R828772
(EPA does not fund or establish subprojects; EPA awards and manages the overall grant for this center).
Center: National Research Program on Design-Based/Model-Assisted Survey Methodology for Aquatic Resources
Center Director: Stevens, Don L.
Title: Development of the Push-Pull Test to Monitor Bioaugmentation with Dehalogenating Cultures
Investigators: Field, Jennifer , Istok, Jonathan D.
Current Investigators: Field, Jennifer , Istok, Jonathan D. , Dolan, Mark E.
Institution: Oregon State University
EPA Project Officer: Aja, Hayley
Project Period: September 1, 2001 through August 31, 2003
Project Amount: Refer to main center abstract for funding details.
RFA: Hazardous Substance Research Centers - HSRC (2001) Recipients Lists
Research Category: Hazardous Waste/Remediation , Land and Waste Management

Objective:

Promising technologies for enhancing in situ remediation of groundwater aquifers contaminated with chlorinated aliphatic hydrocarbons include the addition of substrates, nutrients, and/or the addition of cultures possessing dehalogenating capabilities. With the recent identification of cultures that survive in the presence of high concentrations of trichloroethene (TCE), bioaugmentation has become a viable alternative for remediating TCE source zones. While this approach may hold promise for field-scale remediation, it is currently difficult to evaluate the degree to which microorganism additions are effective in stimulating contaminant-degrading activity at the field scale. The single-well, "push-pull" test method is a potentially powerful method for obtaining quantitative information about microbial metabolic activities in groundwater aquifers. A push-pull test consists of the controlled injection of a prepared test solution into an aquifer followed by the recovery of the test solution/groundwater mixture from the same location.

The overall goal of this project is to further develop the capabilities of the single-well, push-pull test method for quantifying changes in biomass and TCE-transformation potential in the subsurface due to bioaugmentation. The specific objectives are to 1) develop methods for monitoring changes in biomass upon the addition of dehalogenating cultures and 2) evaluate the ability of the push-pull tests to monitor changes in sediment biomass and TCE-transformation potential resulting from the injection of dehalogenating cultures.

Approach:

To address the objectives, physical aquifer models will be constructed and packed with aquifer sediment and maintained under fermentative, anaerobic conditions. Laboratory push-pull tests will be conducted in the sediment packs using substrates that can be used to quantify changes in the transport properties and the spatial distribution of biomass before and after the injection of dehalogenating cultures as well as the resulting changes in TCE-transformation potential.

Expected Results:

The benefit of the proposed project is the establishment of the single-well push-pull test as a rapid, low-cost field method for monitoring bioaugmentation. Ultimately, the methods developed for this project can be applied in the field as a means for obtaining quantitative information on dehalogenating activity before and after bioaugmentation. The application of these methods will result in improved field site characterization, assessments of bioaugmentation success at the field scale, and risk assessment at contaminated field sites undergoing bioaugmentation.

Supplemental Keywords:

bioaugmentation, groundwater, microbial activity, reductive dechlorination., RFA, Scientific Discipline, Waste, Water, Ecosystem Protection/Environmental Exposure & Risk, Chemical Engineering, Environmental Chemistry, Remediation, Restoration, Hazardous Waste, Groundwater remediation, Hazardous, Environmental Engineering, Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration, Engineering, Chemistry, & Physics, hazardous waste treatment, reductive dehalogenation, in situ treatment, microbial degradation, advanced treatment technologies, in situ remediation, push pull test, TCE degradation, aquifer remediation design, dehalogenation, in-situ bioremediation, contaminated groundwater, groundwater contamination, aquatic ecosystems, reductive dechlorination, contaminated aquifers, bioaugmentation, aquifer remediation, groundwater, in-situ biotransformation, TCE

Progress and Final Reports:

2002 Progress Report

Final

Main Center Abstract and Reports:

R828772    National Research Program on Design-Based/Model-Assisted Survey Methodology for Aquatic Resources

Subprojects under this Center: (EPA does not fund or establish subprojects; EPA awards and manages the overall grant for this center).
R828772C001 Developing and Optimizing Biotransformation Kinetics for the Bio- remediation of Trichloroethylene at NAPL Source Zone Concentrations
R828772C002 Strategies for Cost-Effective In-situ Mixing of Contaminants and Additives in Bioremediation
R828772C003 Aerobic Cometabolism of Chlorinated Aliphatic Hydrocarbon Compounds with Butane-Grown Microorganisms
R828772C004 Chemical, Physical, and Biological Processes at the Surface of Palladium Catalysts Under Groundwater Treatment Conditions
R828772C006 Development of the Push-Pull Test to Monitor Bioaugmentation with Dehalogenating Cultures
R828772C007 Development and Evaluation of Field Sensors for Monitoring Bioaugmentation with Anaerobic Dehalogenating Cultures for In-Situ Treatment of TCE
R828772C008 Training and Technology Transfer
R828772C009 Technical Outreach Services for Communities (TOSC) and Technical Assistance to Brownfields Communities (TAB) Programs
R828772C010 Aerobic Cometabolism of Chlorinated Ethenes by Microorganisms that Grow on Organic Acids and Alcohols
R828772C011 Development and Evaluation of Field Sensors for Monitoring Anaerobic Dehalogenation after Bioaugmentation for In Situ Treatment of PCE and TCE
R828772C012 Continuous-Flow Column Studies of Reductive Dehalogenation with Two Different Enriched Cultures: Kinetics, Inhibition, and Monitoring of Microbial Activity
R828772C013 Novel Methods for Laboratory Measurement of Transverse Dispersion in Porous Media
R828772C014 The Role of Micropore Structure in Contaminant Sorption and Desorption