In-Situ Groundwater Bioremediation

Chlorinated solvents and petroleum hydrocarbons in groundwater can be remediated in-situ by biological means in a large number of instances. When remediating petroleum hydrocarbons in groundwater, microorganisms break down individual contaminants by using them as a food source. When remediating chlorinated solvents in groundwater, microorganisms usually utilize other organic carbon within the aquifer as a food source and utilize the chlorinated solvents as an electron acceptor to respirate, and as a consequence reductively dechlorinate the chlorinated compounds.

SMA scientists and hydrogeologists have performed large (over approximately 20-acres of aquifer), full-scale bioremediation of chlorinated solvents in groundwater to remediate trichloroethene (TCE) to the non-toxic end product ethene and other mineralized constituents. SMA has done this at sites where only the indigenous micro-biologic community was utilized to perform the remedial measure and at sites where it was necessary to introduce an inoculum known to contain dehalococoides (the only group of microorganisms known to completely degrade TCE to ethene).

Adapted from Lovely, D.R.; Chapelle, F.H., and Woodward, J.C. 1994. Environmental Science and Technology, Vol.28, No.7, pp. 1205-1210.