National Academies Press: OpenBook

In Situ Bioremediation: When Does it Work? (1993)

Chapter: Front Matter

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1993. In Situ Bioremediation: When Does it Work?. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/2131.
×

In Situ Bioremediation

When does it work?

Committee on In Situ Bioremediation

Water Science and Technology Board

Commission on Engineering and Technical Systems

National Research Council

NATIONAL ACADEMY PRESS
Washington, D.C.
1993

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1993. In Situ Bioremediation: When Does it Work?. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/2131.
×

National Academy Press
2101 Constitution Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20418

NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.

This report has been reviewed by a group other than the authors according to procedures approved by a Report Review Committee consisting of members of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine.

Support for this project was provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under Agreement No. CR 820730-01-0, the National Science Foundation under Agreement No. BCS-9213271, the Electric Power Research Institute under Agreement No. RP2879-26, the Gas Research Institute, the American Petroleum Institute, Chevron USA, Inc., and the Mobil Oil Corporation.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

In situ bioremediation / Water Science and Technology Board, Commission on Engineering and Technical Systems, National Research Council.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 0-309-04896-6

1. In situ bioremediation—Evaluation. I. National Research Council (U.S.). Water Science and Technology Board.

TD192.5.153 1993 93-5531

628.5'2—dc20 CIP

Copyright 1993 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.

B-184

Cover art by Y. David Chung. Title design by Rumen Buzatov. Chung and Buzatov are graduates of the Corcoran School of Art in Washington, D.C. Chung has exhibited widely throughout the country, including at the Whitney Museum in New York, the Washington Project for the Arts in Washington, D.C., and the Williams College Museum of Art in Williamstown, Massachusetts.

In brilliant colors, the cover art shows the amazing variety of unusual shapes found in bacterial life forms.

Printed in the United States of America

First Printing, October 1993

Second Printing, December 1994

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1993. In Situ Bioremediation: When Does it Work?. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/2131.
×

COMMITTEE ON IN SITU BIOREMEDIATION

BRUCE E. RITTMANN, Chair,

Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois

LISA ALVAREZ-COHEN,

University of California, Berkeley

PHILIP B. BEDIENT,

Rice University, Houston, Texas

RICHARD A. BROWN,

Groundwater Technology, Inc., Trenton, New Jersey

FRANCIS H. CHAPELLE,

U.S. Geological Survey, Columbia, South Carolina

PETER K. KITANIDIS,

Stanford University, Stanford, California

EUGENE L. MADSEN,

Cornell University, Ithaca, New York

WILLIAM R. MAHAFFEY,

ECOVA Corporation, Redmond, Washington

ROBERT D. NORRIS,

Eckenfelder, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee

JOSEPH P. SALANITRO,

Shell Development Company, Houston, Texas

JOHN M. SHAUVER,

Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Lansing, Michigan

JAMES M. TIEDJE,

Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan

JOHN T. WILSON,

Robert S. Kerr Environmental Research Laboratory, Ada, Oklahoma

RALPH S. WOLFE,

University of Illinois, Urbana

Staff

JACQUELINE A. MACDONALD, Study Director

GREGORY K. NYCE, Senior Project Assistant

GREICY AMJADIVALA, Project Assistant

WYETHA TURNEY, Word Processor

KENNETH M. REESE, Editorial Consultant

BARBARA A. BODLING, Editorial Consultant

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1993. In Situ Bioremediation: When Does it Work?. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/2131.
×

WATER SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY BOARD

DANIEL A. OKUN, Chair,

University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

A. DAN TARLOCK, Vice Chair,

IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law, Chicago, Illinois

J. DAN ALLEN,

Chevron USA, Inc., New Orleans, Louisiana

KENNETH D. FREDERICK,

Resources for the Future, Washington, D.C.

DAVID L. FREYBERG,

Stanford University, Stanford, California

WILFORD R. GARDNER,

University of California, Berkeley

DUANE L. GEORGESON,

Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, Los Angeles

LYNN R. GOLDMAN,

California Department of Health Services, Emeryville

WILLIAM L. GRAF,

Arizona State University, Tempe

THOMAS M. HELLMAN,

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, New York, New York

ROBERT J. HUGGETT,

College of William and Mary, Gloucester Point, Virginia

CHARLES C. JOHNSON, Consultant,

Bethesda, Maryland

JUDY L. MEYER,

University of Georgia, Athens

STAVROS S. PAPADOPULOS,

S. S. Papadopulos & Associates, Inc., Bethesda, Maryland

KENNETH W. POTTER,

University of Wisconsin-Madison

BRUCE E. RITTMANN,

Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois

PHILIP C. SINGER,

University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

JOY B. ZEDLER,

San Diego State University, San Diego, California

Staff

STEPHEN D. PARKER, Director

SARAH CONNICK, Senior Staff Officer

SHEILA D. DAVID, Senior Staff Officer

CHRIS ELFRING, Senior Staff Officer

GARY D. KRAUSS, Staff Officer

JACQUELINE A. MACDONALD, Staff Officer

JEANNE AQUILINO, Administrative Associate

ANITA A. HALL, Administrative Assistant

PATRICIA L. CICERO, Senior Project Assistant

GREGORY K. NYCE, Senior Project Assistant

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1993. In Situ Bioremediation: When Does it Work?. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/2131.
×

COMMISSION ON ENGINEERING AND TECHNICAL SYSTEMS

ALBERT R. C. WESTWOOD, Chair,

Martin Marietta Corporation, Bethesda, Maryland

NANCY CONNERY,

Woolwich, Maine

RICHARD A. CONWAY,

Union Carbide Corporation, South Charleston, West Virginia

GERARD W. ELVERUM, JR.,

TRW Space & Technology Group, Banning, California

E. R. (VALD) HEIBERG III,

J. A. Jones Construction Services Company, Charlotte, North Carolina

WILLIAM G. HOWARD, JR.,

Scottsdale, Arizona

JOHN McCARTHY,

Stanford University, Stanford, California

ALTON D. SLAY,

Slay Enterprises, Inc., Warrenton, Virginia

JAMES J. SOLBERG,

Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana

CHARLES F. TIFFANY,

Boeing Military Airplane Company, Yuma, Arizona (Retired)

JOHN A. TILLINGHAST,

TILTEC, Portsmouth, New Hampshire

PAUL TORGERSEN,

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg

GEORGE L. TURIN,

Teknekron Corporation, Menlo Park, California

JOHN B. WACHTMAN, JR.,

Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey

BRIAN J. WATT,

Joy Technologies, Inc., Houston, Texas

WILLIAM C. WEBSTER,

University of California, Berkeley

ROBERT V. WHITMAN,

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge

Staff

ARCHIE L. WOOD, Executive Director

MARLENE BEAUDIN, Associate Executive Director

MARY FRANCES LEE, Director of Operations

ROBERT KATT, Associate Director for Quality Management

LYNN KASPER, Assistant Editor

TEREE DITTMAR, Administrative Assistant

SYLVIA GILBERT, Administrative Assistant

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1993. In Situ Bioremediation: When Does it Work?. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/2131.
×

The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. Upon the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and technical matters. Dr. Bruce M. Alberts is president of the National Academy of Sciences.

The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. It is autonomous in its administration and in the selection of its members, sharing with the National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal government. The National Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs aimed at meeting national needs, encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior achievements of engineers. Dr. Robert M. White is president of the National Academy of Engineering.

The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to secure the services of eminent members of appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. The Institute acts under the responsibility given to the National Academy of Sciences by its congressional charter to be an adviser to the federal government and, upon its own initiative, to identify issues of medical care, research, and education. Dr. Kenneth I. Shine is president of the Institute of Medicine.

The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy's purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Bruce M. Alberts and Dr. Robert M. White are chairman and vice chairman, respectively, of the National Research Council.

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1993. In Situ Bioremediation: When Does it Work?. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/2131.
×

Preface

Bioremediation is a technology that is gaining momentum in technical, policy, and popular circles. It also is a technology associated with mystery, controversy, and "snake oil salesmen." When a representative of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency suggested in the fall of 1991 that the Water Science and Technology Board conduct a study on bioremediation, it converged with the board's internal initiative to "do something" in the area. Several high-quality workshops and conferences had occurred in the previous year that generated publications describing what is needed for bioremediation to fulfill its potential. The board needed to design a study that would do more than repeat what was already available, that would be completed in a time frame commensurate with the urgent needs of those involved in bioremediation, and that would meet the high standards expected of the National Academy of Sciences. These criteria inevitably led to the subject of this report and to a unique format for conducting the study.

The study's subject—"In Situ Bioremediation: When Does It Work?"—narrows the focus to two critical facets of bioremediation. First, it addresses the use of microorganisms to remove contamination from ground water and soils that remain in place (i.e., in situ) during the cleanup. This focus distinguishes in situ bioremediation of the subsurface from significantly different applications of bioremediation, such as to treat oil tanker spills, wastewaters, or sludges. Second, the

Page viii Cite
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1993. In Situ Bioremediation: When Does it Work?. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/2131.
×

primary object of the study is to provide guidance on how to evaluate when an in situ bioremediation process is working or has worked. This focus is most important because the in situ environment is highly complex and very difficult to observe. Therefore, tools from several scientific and engineering disciplines must be used in a sophisticated manner if the success of a bioremediation effort is to be evaluated. Guidance is acutely needed today because most people faced with making decisions about bioremediation projects do not have the interdisciplinary knowledge to integrate all of the necessary tools.

The format for this study was unique and designed to meet two criteria: meaningful interdisciplinary interchange and timeliness. To gain interchange, a committee of 14 was carefully chosen to include recognized leaders in academic research, field practice, regulation, and industry. A balance was achieved between those involved in research fundamentals and those involved in the practical aspects of application, as well as between scientists and engineers. Once the committee of interdisciplinary experts was assembled, meaningful interchange was fostered by an intensive week-long workshop at the National Research Council. The goals were to maximize opportunities for formal and informal interchange among the committee members and to build a common purpose. Both goals were achieved, directly leading to a consensus about the issues and what were to be the committee's recommendations.

Timeliness was a prime consideration in designing the study's format. In order to accelerate interdisciplinary communications, nine committee members prepared seven background papers in advance of the week-long workshop. At the workshop, the committee initially generated its own discussion topics and then systematically discussed them. Key to timeliness and keeping the committee "on target" was preparation of a draft report during the workshop. Near the end of the workshop, the committee reviewed the draft report, which refocused the entire group on exactly what it wanted to say.

Appearing first in this volume is the committee's report, which describes the principles and practices of in situ bioremediation and provides practical guidelines for evaluating success. The report's guidelines should be immediately useful to regulators, practitioners, and buyers who are involved in decision-making processes involving bioremediation. We envision that the report will provide a commonly accepted basis for which all parties can agree to specific evaluation protocols. Also included here are the seven background papers. These papers will give the reader added insight into the different perspectives that were brought to the committee. The entire report has been reviewed by a group other than the authors, but only the committee

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1993. In Situ Bioremediation: When Does it Work?. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/2131.
×

report was subjected to the report review criteria established by the National Research Council's Report Review Committee. The background papers have been reviewed for factual correctness.

Special acknowledgment must go to several individuals who contributed to the committee's overall effort in special ways. First, Dick Brown and Jim Tiedje joined me on the executive committee, which had the all-important tasks of identifying and recruiting committee members and which also oversaw the committee's management. Second, Eugene Madsen, the committee's rapporteur, wrote the first draft of the report during the workshop and prepared an excellent second draft after the workshop. Eugene did these crucial and grueling tasks with skill and good humor. Finally, Jackie MacDonald, staff officer for the committee, made this unique effort possible. She efficiently arranged all the logistics for the workshop and for publishing the book. Even more importantly, she used her exceptional technical and editorial skills to ensure that the report and the background papers are logical, correct, understandable, and interesting to read. The committee members owe Jackie a debt of gratitude for making us sound more intelligent and better organized than we might actually be.

Finally, I want to mention two possible spin-off benefits of the study and report. First, most of the principles and guidelines described here also apply to evaluating bioremediation that does not occur in situ. Although the inherent difficulties of working in an in situ environment make evaluation especially challenging, other bioremediation applications also are subject to uncertainties and controversy that can be resolved only with the kind of rational evaluation strategies described here. Second, the format for the workshop might provide a prototype for effective interdisciplinary communications, one of the most critical needs for implementing bioremediation, as well as other technologies.

Bruce E. Rittmann, Chair

Committee on In Situ Bioremediation

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1993. In Situ Bioremediation: When Does it Work?. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/2131.
×
This page in the original is blank.
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1993. In Situ Bioremediation: When Does it Work?. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/2131.
×
   

Boxes

 

 

   

Key Terms for Understanding Bioremediation

 

19

   

Intrinsic Bioremediation of a Crude Oil Spill—Bemidji, Minnesota

 

37

   

Site Characteristics that Favor In Situ Bioremediation

 

40

3

 

THE CURRENT PRACTICE OF BIOREMEDIATION

 

47

   

Bioremediation Versus Other Technologies

 

48

   

Basics of Bioremediation Process Design

 

49

   

Engineered Bioremediation

 

50

   

Intrinsic Bioremediation

 

59

   

Integration of Bioremediation with Other Technologies

 

60

   

Good Practices

 

61

   

Box

 

 

   

Standards of Practice for Bioremediation Contractors

 

62

4

 

EVALUATING IN SITU BIOREMEDIATION

 

63

   

A Three-Part Strategy for ''Proving" In Situ Bioremediation

 

63

   

Techniques for Demonstrating Biodegradation in the Field

 

65

   

Measurements of Field Samples

 

65

   

Experiments Run in the Field

 

78

   

Modeling Experiments

 

80

   

Limitations Inherent in Evaluating In Situ Bioremediation

 

88

   

Boxes

 

 

   

Proving Engineered Bioremediation of Chlorinated Solvents in a Field Test—Moffett Naval Air Station, California

 

66

   

Proving Engineered Bioremediation of an Oil and Fuel Spill—Denver, Colorado

 

71

   

Testing Bioremediation of PCBs in Hudson River Sediments—New York

 

77

   

Proving Intrinsic Bioremediation of a Spill at a Natural Gas Manufacturing Plant—Northern Michigan

 

86

5

 

FUTURE PROSPECTS FOR BIOREMEDIATION

 

91

   

New Frontiers in Bioremediation

 

92

   

The Increasing Importance of Evaluating Bioremediation

 

93

   

Recommended Steps in Research

 

94

   

Recommended Steps in Education

 

95

Page xiii Cite
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1993. In Situ Bioremediation: When Does it Work?. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/2131.
×

 

 

BACKGROUND PAPERS

 

97

   

A Regulator's Perspective on In Situ Bioremediation
John M. Shauver

 

99

   

An Industry's Perspective on Intrinsic Bioremediation
Joseph P. Salanitro

 

104

   

Bioremediation from an Ecological Perspective
James M. Tiedje

 

110

   

In Situ Bioremediation: The State of the Practice
Richard A. Brown, William Mahaffey, and Robert D. Norris

 

121

   

Engineering Challenges of Implementing In Situ Bioremediation
Lisa Alvarez-Cohen

 

136

   

Modeling In Situ Bioremediation
Philip B. Bedient and Hanadi S. Rifai

 

153

   

Testing Bioremediation in the Field
John T. Wilson

 

160

 

 

APPENDIXES

 

185

   

A Glossary

 

187

   

B Biographical Sketches of Committee Members and Staff

 

195

 

 

INDEX

 

199

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1993. In Situ Bioremediation: When Does it Work?. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/2131.
×
This page in the original is blank.
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1993. In Situ Bioremediation: When Does it Work?. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/2131.
×

In Situ Bioremediation
When does it work?

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1993. In Situ Bioremediation: When Does it Work?. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/2131.
×
This page in the original is blank.
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1993. In Situ Bioremediation: When Does it Work?. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/2131.
×
Page R1
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1993. In Situ Bioremediation: When Does it Work?. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/2131.
×
Page R2
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1993. In Situ Bioremediation: When Does it Work?. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/2131.
×
Page R3
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1993. In Situ Bioremediation: When Does it Work?. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/2131.
×
Page R4
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1993. In Situ Bioremediation: When Does it Work?. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/2131.
×
Page R5
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1993. In Situ Bioremediation: When Does it Work?. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/2131.
×
Page R6
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1993. In Situ Bioremediation: When Does it Work?. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/2131.
×
Page R7
Page viii Cite
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1993. In Situ Bioremediation: When Does it Work?. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/2131.
×
Page R8
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1993. In Situ Bioremediation: When Does it Work?. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/2131.
×
Page R9
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1993. In Situ Bioremediation: When Does it Work?. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/2131.
×
Page R10
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1993. In Situ Bioremediation: When Does it Work?. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/2131.
×
Page R11
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1993. In Situ Bioremediation: When Does it Work?. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/2131.
×
Page R12
Page xiii Cite
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1993. In Situ Bioremediation: When Does it Work?. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/2131.
×
Page R13
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1993. In Situ Bioremediation: When Does it Work?. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/2131.
×
Page R14
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1993. In Situ Bioremediation: When Does it Work?. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/2131.
×
Page R15
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1993. In Situ Bioremediation: When Does it Work?. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/2131.
×
Page R16
Next: Executive Summary »
In Situ Bioremediation: When Does it Work? Get This Book
×
Buy Paperback | $50.00
MyNAP members save 10% online.
Login or Register to save!
Download Free PDF

In situ bioremediation—the use of microorganisms for on-site removal of contaminants—is potentially cheaper, faster, and safer than conventional cleanup methods. But in situ bioremediation is also clouded in uncertainty, controversy, and mistrust.

This volume from the National Research Council provides direction for decisionmakers and offers detailed and readable explanations of:

  • the processes involved in in situ bioremediation,
  • circumstances in which it is best used, and
  • methods of measurement, field testing, and modeling to evaluate the results of bioremediation projects.

Bioremediation experts representing academic research, field practice, regulation, and industry provide accessible information and case examples; they explore how in situ bioremediation works, how it has developed since its first commercial use in 1972, and what research and education efforts are recommended for the future. The volume includes a series of perspective papers.

The book will be immediately useful to policymakers, regulators, bioremediation practitioners and purchasers, environmental groups, concerned citizens, faculty, and students.

  1. ×

    Welcome to OpenBook!

    You're looking at OpenBook, NAP.edu's online reading room since 1999. Based on feedback from you, our users, we've made some improvements that make it easier than ever to read thousands of publications on our website.

    Do you want to take a quick tour of the OpenBook's features?

    No Thanks Take a Tour »
  2. ×

    Show this book's table of contents, where you can jump to any chapter by name.

    « Back Next »
  3. ×

    ...or use these buttons to go back to the previous chapter or skip to the next one.

    « Back Next »
  4. ×

    Jump up to the previous page or down to the next one. Also, you can type in a page number and press Enter to go directly to that page in the book.

    « Back Next »
  5. ×

    Switch between the Original Pages, where you can read the report as it appeared in print, and Text Pages for the web version, where you can highlight and search the text.

    « Back Next »
  6. ×

    To search the entire text of this book, type in your search term here and press Enter.

    « Back Next »
  7. ×

    Share a link to this book page on your preferred social network or via email.

    « Back Next »
  8. ×

    View our suggested citation for this chapter.

    « Back Next »
  9. ×

    Ready to take your reading offline? Click here to buy this book in print or download it as a free PDF, if available.

    « Back Next »
Stay Connected!