Cryogenic soil coring reveals coexistence of aerobic and anaerobic vinyl chloride degrading bacteria in a chlorinated ethene contaminated aquifer.

Vinyl chloride (VC) is a common groundwater contaminant and known human carcinogen. Three major bacterial guilds are known to participate in VC biodegradation: aerobic etheneotrophs and methanotrophs, and anaerobic organohalide-respiring VC-dechlorinators. We investigated the spatial relationships between functional genes representing these three groups of bacteria (as determined by qPCR) with chlorinated ethene concentrations in a surficial aquifer at a contaminated site.

Modeling the Kinetics of Hydrogen Formation by Zerovalent Iron: Effects of Sulfidation on Micro- and Nano-Scale Particles.

The hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) that generates H from the reduction of HO by Fe is among the most fundamental of the processes that control reactivity in environmental systems containing zerovalent iron (ZVI). To develop a comprehensive kinetic model for this process, a large and high-resolution data set for HER was measured using five types of ZVI pretreated by acid-washing and/or sulfidation (in pH 7 HEPES buffer). The data were fit to four alternative kinetic models using nonlinear regression analysis applied to the whole data set simultaneously, which allowed some model parameters to be treated globally across multiple experiments.

Sulfidation of Iron-Based Materials: A Review of Processes and Implications for Water Treatment and Remediation.

Iron-based materials used in water treatment and groundwater remediation-especially micro- and nanosized zerovalent iron (nZVI)-can be more effective when modified with lower-valent forms of sulfur (i.e., "sulfidated").

Sulfidation of Nano Zerovalent Iron (nZVI) for Improved Selectivity During In-Situ Chemical Reduction (ISCR).

The high reactivity of nano zerovalent iron (nZVI) leads to inefficient treatment due to competition with various natural reductant demand (NRD) processes, especially the reduction of water to hydrogen. Here we show that this limitation can be alleviated by sulfidation (i.e.

Chemical Reactivity Probes for Assessing Abiotic Natural Attenuation by Reducing Iron Minerals.

Increasing recognition that abiotic natural attenuation (NA) of chlorinated solvents can be important has created demand for improved methods to characterize the redox properties of the aquifer materials that are responsible for abiotic NA. This study explores one promising approach: using chemical reactivity probes (CRPs) to characterize the thermodynamic and kinetic aspects of contaminant reduction by reducing iron minerals. Assays of thermodynamic CRPs were developed to determine the reduction potentials (ECRP) of suspended minerals by spectrophotometric determination of equilibrium CRP speciation and calculations using the Nernst equation.

Field Deployable Chemical Redox Probe for Quantitative Characterization of Carboxymethylcellulose Modified Nano Zerovalent Iron.

Nano zerovalent iron synthesized with carboxymethylcelluose (CMC-nZVI) is among the leading formulations of nZVI currently used for in situ groundwater remediation. The main advantage of CMC-nZVI is that it forms stable suspensions, which are relatively mobile in porous media. Rapid contaminant reduction by CMC-nZVI is well documented, but the fate of the CMC-nZVI (including "aging" and "reductant demand") is not well characterized.

Methods for characterizing the fate and effects of nano zerovalent iron during groundwater remediation.

The emplacement of nano zerovalent iron (nZVI) for groundwater remediation is usually monitored by common measurements such as pH, total iron content, and oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) by potentiometry. However, the interpretation of such measurements can be misleading because of the complex interactions between the target materials (e.g.

An analysis of a mixed convection associated with thermal heating in contaminated porous media.

The occurrence of subsurface buoyant flow during thermal remediation was investigated using a two dimensional electro-thermal model (ETM). The model incorporated electrical current flow associated with electrical resistance heating, energy and mass transport, and density dependent water flow. The model was used to examine the effects of heating on sixteen subsurface scenarios with different applied groundwater fluxes and soil permeabilities.

Assessment of anaerobic toluene biodegradation activity by bssA transcript/gene ratios.

Benzylsuccinate synthase (bssA) genes associated with toluene degradation were profiled across a groundwater contaminant plume under nitrate-reducing conditions and were detected in significant numbers throughout the plume. However, differences between groundwater and core sediment samples suggested that microbial transport, rather than local activity, was the underlying cause of the high copy numbers within the downgradient plume. Both gene transcript and reactant concentrations were consistent with this hypothesis.

Field-scale transport and transformation of carboxymethylcellulose-stabilized nano zero-valent iron.

The fate of nano zerovalent iron (nZVI) during subsurface injection was examined using carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) stabilized nZVI in a very large three-dimensional physical model aquifer with detailed monitoring using multiple, complementary detection methods. A fluorescein tracer test in the aquifer plus laboratory column data suggested that the very-aggressive flow conditions necessary to achieve 2.5 m of nZVI transport could be obtained using a hydraulically constrained flow path between injection and extraction wells.

Effects of cryogenic preservation and storage on the molecular characteristics of microorganisms in sediments.

Sediment samples from a large physical-model aquifer and laboratory-generated samples were used to systematically assess the effects of whole-sample freezing on the integrity of biomolecules relevant to bioremediation. Impacts of freezing on DNA and RNA were assessed using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) as well as the community fingerprinting method, PCR single-strand conformation polymorphism (PCR-SSCP). We did not observe any significant degradation of a suite of genes and gene transcripts, including short-lived mRNA transcripts, from P.

Degradation of 1,2,3-trichloropropane (TCP): hydrolysis, elimination, and reduction by iron and zinc.

1,2,3-Trichloropropane (TCP) is an emerging contaminant because of increased recognition of its occurrence in groundwater, potential carcinogenicity, and resistance to natural attenuation. The physical and chemical properties of TCP make it difficult to remediate, with all conventional options being relatively slow or inefficient. Treatments that result in alkaline conditions (e.

Natural organic matter enhanced mobility of nano zerovalent iron.

Column studies showed that the mobility of nanometer-sized zerovalent iron (nZVI) through granular media is greatly increased in the presence of natural organic matter (NOM). At NOM concentrations of 20 mg/L or greater, the nZVI was highly mobile during transport experiments in 0.15-m long columns packed with medium sand.

Persulfate persistence under thermal activation conditions.

Contaminant destruction with in situ chemical oxidation (ISCO) using persulfate (peroxydisulfate, S2O8(2-)) can be enhanced by activation, which increases the rate of persulfate decomposition to sulfate radicals (SO4*-). This step initiates a chain of radical reactions involving species (including SO4*- and OH*) that oxidize contaminants more rapidly than persulfate does directly. Among current activation methods, thermal activation is the least well studied.

Ammonia removal from air stream and biogas by a H2SO4 impregnated adsorbent originating from waste wood-shavings and biosolids.

A new and cost-effective adsorbent N-TRAP, made from waste wood-shavings and anaerobically digestion biosolids and impregnated with H(2)SO(4), was applied for the ammonia removal from air stream and biogas with high efficiency and effectiveness. Bearing a 75-80 and 65 wt.% sulfuric acid, the N-TRAPs mediated with wood shavings and biosolids showed the maximum ammonia adsorption capacity of 260-280 and 230 mg g(-1), respectively.

Evaluation of groundwater flow patterns around a dual-screened groundwater circulation well.

Dual-screened groundwater circulation wells (GCWs) can be used to remove contaminant mass and to mix reagents in situ. GCWs are so named because they force water in a circular pattern between injection and extraction screens. The radial extent, flux and direction of the effective flow of this circulation cell are difficult to measure or predict.

Economic grand rounds: A pay-for-performance program for behavioral health care practitioners.

This column describes a pay-for-performance program for behavioral health care practitioners. Implemented in 1996 by a large national health insurer, the program's goals are to improve the quality of care, recognize the practitioners who provide higher-quality care, demonstrate the value of behavioral health services to purchasers, and help providers align their practices with national standards. A future goal is to provide patients with data on provider quality to improve their treatment decisions.

Oxidation of chlorinated ethenes by heat-activated persulfate: kinetics and products.

In situ chemical oxidation (ISCO) and in situ thermal remediation (ISTR) are applicable to treatment of groundwater contaminated with chlorinated ethenes. ISCO with persulfate (S2O8(2-)) requires activation, and this can be achieved with the heat from ISTR, so there may be advantages to combining these technologies. To explore this possibility, we determined the kinetics and products of chlorinated ethene oxidation with heat-activated persulfate and compared them to the temperature dependence of other degradation pathways.

Reduction of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene by iron metal: kinetic controls on product distributions in batch experiments.

The reaction kinetics and product distributions for the reduction of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) by granular iron metal (Fe0) were studied in batch experiments under a variety of initial concentrations of TNT and Fe0. Although the kinetics of TNT disappearance were found to behave in accord with the standard theory for surface-mediated reactions, a complex relationship was found between the initial concentrations of TNT and Fe0 and the appearance of the expected nitro reduction product, 2,4,6-triaminotoluene (TAT). TNT was completely converted to TAT only when the initial concentration of TNT was low and/or the initial concentration of Fe0 was high.

Effects of daily precipitation and evapotranspiration patterns on flow and VOC transport to groundwater along a watershed flow path.

MTBE and other volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are widely observed in shallow groundwater in the United States, especially in urban areas. Previous studies suggest that the atmosphere and/or nonpoint surficial sources could be responsible for some of those VOCs, especially in areas where there is net recharge to groundwater. However, in semiarid locations where annual potential evapotranspiration can exceed annual precipitation, VOC detections in groundwater can be frequent.