Method of degrading pollutants in soil
AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the United States Department of Energy
InventorsTerry C. Hazen, Geralyne Lopez-De-Victoria
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Abstract
A method and system for enhancing the motility of microorganisms by placing an effective amount of chlorinated hydrocarbons, preferably chlorinated alkenes, and most preferably trichloroethylene in spaced relation to the microbes so that the surprisingly strong, monomodal, chemotactic response of the chlorinated hydrocarbon on subsurface microbes can draw the microbes away from or towards and into a substance, as desired. In remediation of groundwater pollution, for example, TCE can be injected into the plume to increase the population of microbes at the plume whereby the plume can be more quickly degraded. A TCE-degrading microbe, such as Welchia alkenophilia, can be used to degrade the TCE following the degradation of the original pollutant.
Claims8
A method of degrading a concentration of a pollutant in soil, said pollutant concentration being above a preselected level, said soil containing naturally occurring bacteria, said method comprising the steps of:
- placing a quantity of tetrachloroethylene in said pollutant whereby said bacteria are drawn to said tetrachloroethylene and whereby said bacteria begin to degrade said pollutant;
- monitoring said pollutant concentration;
- and
- removing said tetrachloroethylene from said pollutant when said pollutant concentration has been reduced to said preselected level.
A method of degrading a concentration of a pollutant in soil, said pollutant concentration being above a preselected level, said soil containing naturally occurring bacteria, said method comprising the steps of:
- placing a quantity of tetrachloroethylene in said pollutant so that said bacteria are chemotactically attracted to said tetrachloroethylene and whereby said bacteria begin to degrade said pollutant;
- monitoring said pollutant concentration;
- and
- inoculating said tetrachloroethylene in said pollutant with bacteria known to degrade tetrachloroethylene when said pollutant concentration has been reduced to said preselected level.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.