In situ remediation of EDC contaminated vadose soil: a toxicological assessment

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1-1-1993

Abstract

Chlorinated aliphatic compounds are among the most common soil and groundwater contaminants because of their widespread use as industrial solvents. Our on-going study has two main objectives. The first is to examine the in situ biodegradation of one of these compounds, ethylene dichloride (EDC), in the vadose (unsaturated) soil zone above the groundwater, both in the desired aerobic setting and in a system in which anaerobiosis and subsequent production of vinyl chloride has occurred. We will also test whether an upset system can recover if oxygen, nutrients, and, possibly, inoculum are subsequently added. The second objective is to develop and refine a method for conducting mutagenicity assays on volatile organics compounds and to test the assay under anaerobic conditions. We have completed laboratory and field studies of treatment of EDC in the mobile phase in saturated systems to optimize bacterial consortia for EDC degradation in the vadose-zone experiments. A water stream containing 50 parts per million (ppm) EDC was treated in a laboratory-scale Immobilized Microbe Bioreactor (IMBR). The system was able to sustain a average removal rate of 96.4% with a 24-hour retention time over the least 8 days of the experiment. An LSU pilot-scale IMBR was installed at The Dow Chemical Company's Northwest Landfill site at the Plaquemine, Louisiana, plant.

Publication Source (Journal or Book title)

Waste Management

First Page

532

Last Page

533

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