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Overcoming TCE Cometabolism Rate Limits

Aerobic cometabolism of TCE may be limited by the potential microbial toxicity of by products or by product metabolic repression.  An independent comparison of induced cometabolism using soluble methane and CL-Out bioaugmentation showed that CL-Out bioaugmentation removed more TCE.  The TCE removal rate by CL-Out when supplemented with an oxygen source was a steady rate that continued past apparent limits of induced cometabolism.  The significant difference may be in that the population of beneficial microbes that can be added is much higher than the population level that may be achieved through biostimulation.  For a brief summary of the study follow this link Overcoming TCE Metabolic Limits.

Field Bioremediation Rates For Petroleum and Solvents

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