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Improving Long-Term Bioremediation Results with Nutrients

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Adding Nutrients Increases Long-Term Population and Bioremediation Results

The goal of bioaugmentation is to improve the rate of contaminant removal by adding a high population of beneficial microbes to the contaminated media.  The additional microbes  should provide short-term benefit as the microbes begin metabolizing the contaminants immediately upon injection. But what benefit does bioaugmentation provide in the long term? And how much benefit does bioaugmentation provide over biostimulation by adding nutrients to the native organisms?

A client of CL Solutions completed a bench-scale study to answer these questions.  A bench-scale study was preferred to a field study because it removes the potential distribution and time-lag issues associated with the distances between injection and monitoring locations in the field.

Samples of petroleum-contaminated soils were obtained and separated into split samples for treatment with microbes and nutrients. Some were untreated for comparison.  Samples were tested for petroleum concentrations, including C-fraction concentrations after 30, 40 and 60 days.  Heterotrophic populations were measured at 40 and 60 days.

The tests showed the following results in the early stages:

  • All of the treated samples showed more than 80% total petroleum reduction in the first 30 days.
  • The sample treated with nutrients only had the same level of petroleum removal as the bioaugmented samples in the first 30 days.
  • The heterotrophic population of the biostimulated sample was as high as in the bioaugmented samples at 40 days.

After 30 days the situation changed.

  • The bioaugmented microbial population continued to increase  after 40 days and may have increased by a factor of 100 times.  Meanwhile, the biostimulated population appeared to stall.
  • The petroleum removal continued in the bioaugmented samples and reached as high as 93% removal.  In comparison the biostimulated sample stalled at 82% removal.
  • The difference appears to be that the bioaugmented samples removed the C-21 to C-35 concentrations at a much higher rate than the biostimulated sample.
  • Phenanthrene was target chemical for bioremediation. The biostimulated sample showed 39% removal while the bioaugmented samples showed complete removal to BDL.

Overall, the superior performance of the bioaugmented samples appears to be related to having a greater metabolic range that removed the heavier hydrocarbon fractions.  Microbes with the extended metabolic range could continue to multiply as they grew on the heavy hydrocarbon fraction.  The results are consistent with field results showing the recalcitrance of heavier hydrocarbon fractions and compounds like naphthalene and phenanthrene under natural attenuation.

Contact CL Solutions for more information and insights.

 

 

 

 

 

Pesticide Bioremediation – Landfarming Application for DDD, DDE and Toxaphene

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Petrox® bioremediation was used to remediate pesticide-contaminated soil at an industrial location in California.

Soil Remediation

The soil contamination consisted of pesticides including 4,4-DDD, 4’4-DDE and toxaphene.  Soil samples were sent to CL Solutions for bench-scale treatability studies.   The following table shows the  maximum detected concentrations and the treatment results.

Contaminant
Untreated Concentrations (ug/Kg)
Post-treatment concentrations (ug/Kg)
4,4-DDD
390
250
4,4-DDE
380
220
Toxaphene
8,500
440

After the bench-scale verification, full-scale bioremediation was implemented.  The contaminated soil was placed in two stockpiles and treated with Petrox. The following table shows the pre- and post-treatment results.
Contaminant Concentrations (ug/Kg)
Contaminant
Pile 1
Pile 2
Before
After
Before
After
4,4-DDD
310
170
14
nd ( <5)
4,4-DDE
810
300
8.7
nd  (<5)
Toxaphene
12,000
7,300
380
nd (<5)

Conclusions

The Petrox treatment successfully reduced the concentrations of pesticide contaminants in the soil stockpiles.  For additional information or assessment of applicability to your site contact CL Solutions.

Soil Bioremediation at Dry Cleaners

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Permanently remove vapor intrusion risk

Soil bioremediation is a more effective strategy for managing the vapor intrusion risk at dry cleaners where solvents have contaminated soil or shallow ground water.  Soil bioremediation quickly eliminates the problem, while long-term vapor mitigation ties up resources in on-going operation, maintenance and monitoring costs.  Soil bioremediation eliminates the source of  vapors entering the cleaners and adjoining properties.  The source removal restores the full property value without disrupting operations.

CL-Out microbes have been used at many sites in the US and Canada to remove PCE contamination from soil at dry cleaners and other industries where solvents are used. CL-Out is a consortium of microbes selected for their ability to cometabolize chlorinated solvents under aerobic conditions.  The microbes are pumped into the soil through small boreholes in the building or surrounding area.  Once in the soil, the microbes produce metabolic enzymes that convert the PCE into carbon dioxide and water without generating harmful by products.

The following case studies are examples of how quickly and cost effectively CL-Out bioremediation removes the soil contamination:

Chicago, Illinois

CL-Out bioremediation reduced concentrations of dry cleaning solvents in soil to allow for the redevelopment of a property into luxury condos.  After the old building was removed, the contractor mixed CL-Out microbes into the PCE-contaminated soil.  After 90 days the soil was tested to verify success.

The 90-day sampling showed that the remediation met the site cleanup standards.  PCE was reduced by more than 95% from a maximum of 3,100 mg/kg to less than 120 mg/kg.  A “No Further Action” letter was submitted to IEPA.  The CL-Out cost for the project was $13,000.

Orange County, California

At a site in southern California, the soil and ground water contamination was removed at at operating dry cleaners without interrupting the business operations.  CL-Out microbes were injected into the soil and ground water through small-diameter borings.  Inside the building, hand-dug borings less than 3-inches in diameter were used for the treat the soil. Two drums of CL-Out microbial solution were injected into 80 cubic yards of contaminated soil.

After 30 days soil sampling showed the PCE concentration was reduced by 85% from 775 ug/Kg to 115 ug/Kg.  No daughter product were generated during the bioremediation.

The ground water was treated simultaneously and the contaminant concentrations were reduced by more than 90%.

The cost for CL-Out to treat both soil and ground water was $9,500.

Click here to view the full case study.

Call CL Solutions to discuss removing the vapor intrusion risk at your property.

 

Petrox Bioremediation Prepares Urban Bulk Fuel Facility For Reuse

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A 30 acre bulk fuel facility is ready for reuse after remediation of nearly 100,000 tons of petroleum-contaminated soil in an urban setting near Los Angeles. Bulldog Green Remediation of Walnut Creek, California used a proprietary ex situ treatment process combining Petrox organisms in a custom blend to remediate the soils. All soil was treated and reused on site. This closed-loop process eliminated 8,000 truck loads of soil from the roads and landfills in southern California.

The treatment process reduced contaminant concentrations from typical levels of 1,000 to 10,000 mg/kg to less than 100 mg/kg in less than 30 days. This rapid treatment rate made possible continuous cycling from excavation, through treatment, and back filling.

The site is now ready for reuse as a park and other development.

In situ Heavy Oil Bioremediation in Alberta

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Using a special microbial blend, Delta Environmental has been successfully bioremediating high concentrations of heavy oil in soil around pipelines and oil production equipment.  At a typical site, Delta reduced the concentration of petroleum C34 to >C50 from 130,000 mg/Kg to less than 10,900 in 30 days.  That is a removal rate of 3,970 mg/Kg/day.  This approach not only benefits the environment and meets green cleanup standards, but saves money and equipment downtime for the facility.