Multiple Contaminant Bioremediation

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Cl Solutions provides special microbial blends for the bioremediation of different contaminant types.  However, the advantage of the Pseudomonas sp. in our products is that they have multiple metabolic capabilities, which means for example that a blend optimized for cometabolism of chlorinated solvents can also be effective in petroleum removal.

A recent study by a user of our products showed that the CL Solutions’ patented approach for 1,4-dioxane bioremediation can also degrade a range of chlorinated volatile organic compounds (CVOCs).

Other examples of the successful treatment of mixed plumes are:

Petrox removal of petroleum compounds and trace levels of chlorinated solvents.

Petrox cometabolism of MTBE using petroleum components as a substrate and removing them simultaneously.

CL-Out simultaneous removal of nitrates and perchlorate.

Feel free to check out the case studies or call us for more information.

 

 

Fast Bioremediation Eases Site Development in Boston

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Underground storage tank (UST) leaks from a former gas station contaminated shallow ground water under a parking lot for a commercial building.  The UST contamination was found during trenching for utilities.  As the presence of contamination prevented further property development, fast remediation was important to the stakeholders.

The size of ground water plume that resulted from leaching soil contaminants was estimated to be 5,000 square feet.    The contamination was mainly diesel-range petroleum constituents, with the highest concentrations in the aliphatic range, but there were also scattered detections of xylene, toluene, and ethylbenzene.

Petrox bioremediation was implemented in the ground water.  Three units of Petrox (165 gallons) were injected into the contaminated ground water through vertical injection wells located up gradient of the monitoring wells.

After a single inoculation of Petrox, the contaminant concentrations were reduced across the property.  The following table shows the overall reduction in both the volatile and semi-volatile range hydrocarbons.

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Fast, Easy Drainage Ditch Cleanup

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Petrox bioremediation of surface spills and TPH accumulation in drainage ditches and maintenance areas is simple. Using a simple manual sprayer, the Petrox is applied to the soil surface. The Petrox microbes begin bioremediation immediately to enhance natural digestion of the petroleum, like probiotics for petroleum destruction.  Unlike detergents that wash the visible oil deeper in the soil, Petrox microbes destroy the all of the oil.

The following chart and table show the results of the application of Petrox to petroleum-contaminated soil in a drainage ditch. After about 60 days, the TPH concentration was reduced by 67% in one location and over 90% in three locations.  A second application to the 30 ft. north area reduced the concentration even more.

The problem was solved for a total Petrox cost of $600.

houston soil treatment chart houston soil treatment table

 

 

 

Field Bioremediation Rates For Petroleum and Solvents

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The success of bioaugmentation depends on effective distribution of the beneficial microbes.  If the target population is achieved, the remediation rate ranges from 50% to over 99% removal.  The rate appears to be independent of the contaminant starting concentrations.  This indepedence is the advantage of bioaugmentation.  Through bioaugmentation the density of beneficial organisms is sufficient for frequent reactions with high or low contaminant levels.  The following chart shows the results of a single application of bioaugmentation at 11 sites in different states, with different contaminants.

remediation rates with bioaugmentation

 

The chart also suggests that the results are not time dependent.  The apparent time independence may be because the reactions are completed early and because these were grid applications with the monitoring locations within the bioaugmented area instead of downgradient where the results would depend on dispersion rates.

The USEPA tested the degradation rate of oil using Munox SR for NCP listing.  The degradation rate exceeded most comparable products with 95% removal of alkanes and 89% removal of aromatics in 28 days.  The NCP test results are available at https://19january2017snapshot.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2013-08/documents/notebook.pdf

 

Bioaugmentation to Improve Oxygen Delivery Results

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Many times oxygen is injected to improve natural attenuation of petroleum and other contaminants.  The results are often less than expected because the beneficial microbes that the oxygen addition is supposed to stimulate are absent or insufficient in numbers.  Bioaugmentation has been used to improve the results once the oxygen levels have increased but failed to improve the remediation rate.

The following table shows the results of Petrox bioaugmentation at a site in New Hampshire where the operation of an iSOC oxygen-delivery system failed to achieve stimulated bioremediation.  The table shows the improvement of the degradation rates and the achievement of reaching remediation goals.

Contaminant Pre-iSOC After iSOC Installation After Petrox Application
3/19/2002 1/9/2003 11/29/2004 2/9/2005 4/22/2005
Benzene 33 34 163 27 <2
Toluene 36 13 143 13 <2
Ethylbenzene 130 29 167 29 <2
Total Xylenes 500 141 336 109 <2
MTBE 60 24 61 35 1
Naphthalene 320 196 58 17 <2
1,2,4-Trimethylbenzene 110 40 238 110 <2
1,3,5-Trimethylbenzene 54 29 25 16 <2