Molecular Biomarkers for Detecting, Monitoring and Quantifying Reductive Microbial Processes
Abstract
Chlorinated solvents, such as PCE, TCE, and chlorobenzenes, are the most prevalent groundwater contaminants at DOD and DOE sites. Anaerobic bioremediation treatment technologies are most promising for cost effective removal of these contaminants at a large scale. With natural attenuation, the most important need by practitioners is information about the natural rates of biodegradation, which is very difficult to obtain because of the very slow rate of the process. With engineered bioremediation rates tend to be much faster, but often when applied, the process does not work as planned, which may be due to a variety of problems, such as lack of suitable organisms, strong competition for substrate by other organisms, lack of appropriate nutrients, insufficient supply of electron donor (reductant), inhibitory conditions, etc. Thus, biomarkers are needed to help assess critical biological parameters at problem sites such as whether or not (i) the key microorganisms are present, (ii) the key genes are present, and (iii) the key genes are active (induced). The rate of hydrogen release as well as knowledge of competing hydrogen- consuming reactions are critical for the practitioner to know to guide successful remediation efforts. Thus, monitoring presence, abundance and expression status of diverse hydrogenase as well as reductive dehalogenase genes should provide semi- quantitative markers to predict in situ rates of reductive dehalogenation.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 01, 2013
- Accession Number
- ADA606935
Entities
People
- Alfred M Spormann
- Lewis Semprini
Organizations
- Stanford University