Decontamination of DDT contaminated soil using microbial based methods

摘要

This process for decontaminating soil containing DDT-type contaminants and populations of viable anaerobic and aerobic microbes capable of transforming DDT-type contaminants into harmless materials and being viable under both anaerobic and aerobic conditions comprises: a)admixing the soil with amendment material to form a solid compost mixture containing organic nutrient materials; b)composting the mixture while maintaining the temperature of the mixture in the range of 20 to 65oC and the water content of the mixture in the range of 40 to 100% WHC; c)during the composting maintaining the redox potential level of the mixture below -200 mV until a significant amount of DDT-type contaminants is degraded; d)thereafter oxygenating the mixture to raise the redox potential level to 100 mV and maintain the redox potential above 100 mV until a significant amount of DDT-type contaminants is degraded and e)repeating steps b) to d) as necessary until the desired level of decontamination is achieved.