INTRODUCTION TO BIOREMEDIATION

Superfund Remedial Action Technology Selected FY94

Breakdown of Sites by Type of Contaminant

Percentage of Sites Treating Each Medium

Breakdown of Process by Treatment Technology (includes laboratory-, pilot-, and full-scale)

Top 9 BIOREMEDIATION METHODS

ENVIRONMENTAL BIOTECHNOLOGY The direct use of microorganism and their capabilities to solve environmental problems Disciplines involves: engineering, molecular biology, ecological sciences

Biodegradation’s relation to Environmental Biotechnology Bioremediation Direct Environmental Response Conservation Technology Cradle to Grave Biodegradation Database Pollution Wastewater Treatment Biodegradable Resource for Development Biofuels Biomass Utilisation Renewable Resources

What is BIOREMEDIATION The technology used to speed up the natural processes of waste degradation and recycling Use of naturally occurring microorganism such as bacteria, fungi, and yeast to degrade pollutants or hazardous substances in soil, water and air into non-toxic or less toxic substances

BIOREMEDIATION is a method that treats the soils and renders them non-hazardous, thus eliminating any future liability that may result from landfill problems or violations.

WHY BIOREMEDIATE? Soils contaminated with hydrocarbons may be disposed of or treated in several ways: Regulated permitted landfills, thermal incineration and bioremediation.

WHY BIOREMEDIATION? Sites awaiting clean-up (1993) Agency Responsible Number of Sites US EPA Superfund 1,500-2,000 RCRA 1,500-3,000 UST’s 295,000 US DoD 7,300 US DOE 19,000 • Appears to be lot’s to clean-up • Note: the DoD and DOE are their sites, the EPA’s list are other people’s • RCRA - Resource Conservation and Recovery Act • UST’s - Underground storage tanks • Cookson, J.T., Jr. 1995. Bioremediation engineering: design and application. p.2.

Why Bio? II Adapted from Cookson, 1995 Complete citation: U.S. EPA. 1993. Cleaning up the Nation’s waste sites: Markets and technology trends. EPA/542/B-92/003 These are mainly petroleum, VOC’s, or PCB’s

Why Bioremediation? III Frequency of Contaminant Subgroups (US EPA TIO, 1992) • VOC’s Volatile Organics • SVOC’s Semi - volatile Organics • Definition based on analytical procedures • As can been seen if compared to the previous slide the contaminant group for DoD is no different than society at large. In addition, the major materials are hydrocarbons.

WHY BIOREMEDIATION? IV US. EPA/540/N-93/001 Major Waste Types Applicable to Bioremediation U.S. EPA Bioremediation in the field, No. 8, EPA/540/N-93/001, May 1993 • If you compare the previous list with the general categories on this chart you will see that most of the organics are biodegradable and applicable to bioremediation • Petroleum is by far the most accepted category of material for bioremediation which is why most of the class we will be discussing hydrocarbons (along with the fact that it is my background!)

WHY BIOREMEDIATION? V Cost Effectiveness of Bioremediation ($) Method Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Incineration 5301 None None Solidification 115 None None Landfill 670 None None Thermal Desorption 200 None None Bioremediation 175 27 20 1 - costs are per cubic yard Adapted from Cookson, 1995 • It doesn't really matter if the technique is applicable but it must also be cost effective. • Relatively low cost technology • Numbers are in 93 dollars, actual cost will be impacted by time and competition but the relative costs will give you the idea of where bioremediation falls. • Cookson, J.T., Jr. 1995. Bioremediation engineering: design and application. p.9. • Original source: Bioremediation Report, King Publishing Group, Washington D.C., 1993.

TREATMENT COST Landfill disposal costs range from $15- per m3 to over $75 per m3 depending on hydrocarbon concentration. Timing from 6 to 24 months . Thermal incinerationis fast but  costs range from $250  to over $700 per m3 which dpends of the type of soils Bioremediation costs range from $90  to $110 per m3. the timing is between 30 to 120 days

WHY BIOREMEDIATION? VI Some Other Advantages of Bioremediation Can be done on site Permanent elimination of waste (limiting liability) Positive public acceptance Minimum site disruption Eliminates transportation cost and liability Can be couple with other treatment techniques Adapted from Cookson, 1995 • There are disadvantages also, some materials are not biodegradable, site specificity, monitoring, site requirements, toxicity issues to name a few. • Cookson, J.T., Jr. 1995. Bioremediation engineering: design and application. p.24.

Advantages of Using Bioremediation Processes Compared With Other Remediation Technologies biologically-based remediation detoxifies hazardous substances instead of merely transferring contaminants from one environmental medium to another; (2) bioremediation is generally less disruptive to the environment than excavation-based processes; and (3) the cost of treating a hazardous waste site using bioremediation technologies can be considerably lower than that for conventional treatment methods: vacuuming, absorbing, burning, dispersing, or moving the material .

Effective Bioremediation, Utilizing Microbial Inoculation, Basic and Absolutely Essential Requirements 1. Oxygen at a residual level of 1 ppm. or more 2. Essential inorganic nutrients 3. Microbes and substrate must be in contact 4. Water - either salt or fresh Other conditions must be taken into account, such as pH, temperature, salinity, type of contaminant,

POLLUTANTS Bio-degradable petroleum products (gas, diesel, fuel oil) •crude oil compounds (benzene, toluene, xylene, naphthalene) •some pesticides (malathion) •some industrial solvents •coal compounds (phenols, cyanide in coal tars and coke waste) Partially degradable / Persistent TCE (trichlorethylene) threat to ground water •PCE (perchlorethlene) dry cleaning solvent •PCB’s (have been degraded in labs, but not in field work) •Arsenic, Chromium, Selenium Not degradable / Recalcitrant Uranium •Mercury •DDT

PAH structures

Adapted from “A Citizen’s Guide to Bioremediation”, United Nation Environmental Agencies, Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response, EPA 542-F-01-001

CHALLENGES OF INNOVATION Technology Quality / Success Available Market Investment Capital Competent Management Regulatory Acknowledgment Right Timing Good Public Perception Good Information Dissemination

Remediation Options for Organic Pollutants in Soils Containment/landfill Thermal desorption Advanced organic stabilisation Mobile catalytic chemical oxidation Bioremediation Landfarm Biopile Composting Slurry reactors

COMPARISON OF BIOREMEDIATION AND OTHER TECHNIQUES Soil Gas Extraction: A process by which petroleum vapors are removed from the soil using wells and vacuum pumps. Volatile compounds are extracted from the area between soil particles by applying negative pressure to screened wells in the vadose zone. Low Temperature Thermal Stripping: A process by which soil is excavated and fed into a mobile unit designed to heat the soil and drive off contaminates. Excavation: A process which involves the digging up of contaminated soils and hauling them away.

TYPES OF TREATMENT TECHNOLOGY Bioaugumentation the addition of naturally occuring microbes to sites sites can be treated with high concentrations of specific microbes costs little money, time and disruption simple testing done for biocompatibility and biodegradation efficiency

TYPES OF TREATMENT TECHNOLOGY Biostimulation The use of indigenous microbes the modification of the site to promote the growth of native microbes already present depends on necessary native microbial and organic material to be present costs little time and money testing appropriate microbes can be difficult and complex

TECHNOLOGY-OTHER OPTIONS Bioventing treating soil by drawing oxygen though it to stimulate microbe growth Composting contaminated soils mixed with a bulking agent and exposed to air Landfarming adaptation of traditional farming techniques (aerating, ploughing) to contaminated areas to increase microbes activity

Treatment Options for Contaminated Soils from Natusch, 1997. Remediation Method Excavation-landfill Containment on-site Landfarming/Bio Co-burning Stabilisation Thermal desorption Soil washing Vapour extraction Dechlorination % Use in Australia 60-90 10-30 15-20 <5 5-10 <1

Limitations to Bioremediation Timescale Residual Contaminants Levels Inconsistency Recalcitrant Pollutants eg DDT, PAHs Bioavailability Degrading microorganisms Aqueous solubility Toxicity

Conclusion BIOREMEDIATION: Is a process which uses naturally occurring microorganisms to enhance normal biological breakdown. It is an effective method for treating many hazardous materials. Of all the different processes available for clean-up of sites, Bioremediation is the best and most cost effective method for remediation, with respect to environmental liability. The nature and location of the contamination, the type of soils and geological conditions, determine which method of remediation is best for each individual clean-up site.

What is Next

“Plan the Work, and Work the Plan” An Engineering Perspective •Planning the Work •what is to be done •when is it to be done •how much is the scheduled cost •who will do it •Working the Plan •budgeting & scheduling control •coordinating activities across the team •How to Evaluate & Recommend the Technology •must provide a net improvement over conventional technologies •goals must be achieved: •faster, cheaper, safer, better, etc. Cookson, 1995

END OF INTRODUCTION TO BIOREMEDIATION