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AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the United States Department of Energy
InventorsTerry C. Hazen, Carl B. Fliermans
Estimating the term…
An apparatus and method for in situ remediation of contaminated subsurface soil or groundwater contaminated by chlorinated hydrocarbons. A nutrient fluid is selected to stimulate the growth and reproduction of indigenous subsurface microorganisms that are capable of degrading the contaminants; an oxygenated fluid is selected to create a generally aerobic environment for these microorganisms to degrade the contaminants, leaving only pockets that are anaerobic. The nutrient fluid is injected periodically while the oxygenated fluid is injected continuously and both are extracted so that both are drawn across the plume. The nutrient fluid stimulates microbial colony growth; withholding it periodicially forces the larger, healthy colony of microbes to degrade the contaminants. Treatment is continued until the subsurface concentration of contaminants is reduced to an acceptable, preselected level. The nutrient fluid can be methane and the oxygenated fluid air for stimulating production of methanotrophs to break down chlorohydrocarbons, especially trichloroethylene (TCE) and tetrachloroethylene.
A method for enhancing the degradation of contaminants in soil, said contaminants present at a contaminant concentration, said soil containing microbes capable of degrading said contaminants aerobically, said microbes present at a first concentration, said method comprising the steps of:
A method for enhancing the degradation of contaminants in a plume in soil, said soil containing microbes capable of degrading said contaminants aerobically at a first rate, said contaminants being characterizable by a concentration, said microbes being characterizable by a concentration, said method comprising the steps of:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.