In Situ Bioremediation and Efficacy Monitoring SERDP Project CU-O3O

Abstract : The results of a three-year study funded by the Department of Defense under the Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP) to couple modem geochemical techniques with biological and chemical methods to determine the efficacy of bioremediation strategies for fossil fuels are reported. The objective of this project was to directly measure the catabolic activity of indigenous soil microflora on the contaminants of interest. The combination of stable isotope measurements, contaminant concentration analysis and measurement of bacterial production rates in the different matrices accomplished the objective as follows. The monitoring of a bioremediation technology assessed the effectiveness of these strategies on diverse contamination problems. In addition, the suitability of delta13 C stable isotope measurements of multiple carbon pools as an indication of bioremediation was assessed.