Technical Report and Testing Protocol for Commercial Microbiological Amendment Testing and Evaluation

摘要

Microbiological degradation of various pollutants has been studied intensively within the past 15 years. It was established early on in laboratory studies that petroleum hydrocarbon compounds are particularly susceptible to microbial degradation. The Air Force has identified more than 1,300 JP-4 jet fuel spill sites under the Installation Restoration Program. The majority of these sites have high levels of fuel absorbed or occluded in the soils. When a fuel spill occurs, a major portion of the fuel is adsorbed to the soil matrix. The fuel then slowly releases water-soluble compounds, such as benzene, into the groundwater. Given the large number of areas contaminated with petroleum hydrocarbons, bioremediation would appear to be a promising cost-effective and efficient technology to use at these sites. Commercial microbial amendments typically are promoted for use at these sites, when often indigenous microorganisms are present and are capable of degrading the contaminants.