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In‐Situ and Ex‐Situ Bioremediation Options for Treating Perchlorate in Groundwater
Author(s) -
Hatzinger Paul B.,
Whittier M. Casey,
Arkins Martha D.,
Bryan Chris W.,
Guarini William J.
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
remediation journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.762
H-Index - 27
eISSN - 1520-6831
pISSN - 1051-5658
DOI - 10.1002/rem.10026
Subject(s) - perchlorate , aquifer , bioremediation , groundwater , environmental science , contamination , in situ , waste management , environmental chemistry , environmental engineering , chemistry , geology , ecology , engineering , biology , ion , geotechnical engineering , organic chemistry
Perchlorate has been identified as a water contaminant in 14 states, including California, Nevada, New Mexico,Arizona, Utah, and Texas, and current estimates suggest that the compound may affect the drinking water of as manyas 15 million people. Biological treatment represents the most‐favorable technology for the effective andeconomical removal of perchlorate from water. Biological fluidized bed reactors (FBRs) have been testedsuccessfully at the pilot scale for perchlorate treatment at several sites, and two full‐scale FBR systemsare currently treating perchlorate‐contaminated groundwater in California and Texas. A thirdfull‐scale treatment system is scheduled for start‐up in early 2002. The in‐situ treatment ofperchlorate through addition of specific electron donors to groundwater also appears to hold promise as abioremediation technology. Recent studies suggest that perchlorate‐reducing bacteria are widely occurring innature, including in groundwater aquifers, and that these organisms can be stimulated to degrade perchlorate tobelow the current analytical reporting limit (< 4 μg/l) in many instances. In this article,in‐situ and ex‐situ options for biological treatment of perchlorate‐contaminated groundwaterare discussed and results from laboratory and field experiments are presented. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals,Inc.