Benefits

DoD facilities across the country are impacted with persistent organic pollutants (POPs) such as PCBs, and remediation of these sites is challenging. This work addresses the need for cost-effective, in situ remediation technologies for PCBs that can in principle be applied to other POPs such as pesticides. Most importantly, this work will enable extensive in situ treatment at DoD sites that include both shallow and deep sediments with minimum impact to environmentally sensitive areas. The integrated approach utilizes activated carbon to serve concurrently as an agent to sequester PCBs from the food chain and as a delivery system and solid substrate to enhance both anaerobic and aerobic microbial processes for complete in situ degradation. Development of a tractable microbial in situ treatment system would provide a practical, cost-effective, and environmentally sustainable means of treating POPs. The technology is expected to cost approximately $110,000 per acre, which compares favorably with capping (approximately $115,000 to 290,000 per acre) and dredging (approximately $1 million per acre). In terms of the life-cycle assessment, as compared to dredging, use of biocatalytic SediMite would reduce the health risks associated with sediment disruption, reduce overall energy use, effectively negate the requirement for extensive waste management, and obviate the requirement for substantial habitat restoration. (Anticipated Project Completion - 2015)