Project Information

Title: Identifying and Evaluating Candidate Bioremediation Technologies 070836-A

Project Year and Number: 2009: 070836-A

Other Fiscal Years and Numbers for this Project: 2007: 070836

Principal Investigator (PI): Michel Boufadel (Temple University)

Managing Agency: NOAA

Assisting Personnel: None

Research Location: Prince William Sound

Restoration Category: Research

Injured Resources Addressed: Not Specified

Abstract: This project amenedment will conduct additional field work extending the Limiting Factors study to determine if oxygen availability or nutrient availability (or both) in the lower beach layer are below concentrations necessary for the degradation of the lingering oil residues. This information is critical to the third phase of the Comprehensive Plan, that is, identifying and evaluating candidate bioremediation technologies. The proposed research will investigate factors that will inform whether inplace treatment of lingering oil by bioremediation is feasible, and if so, determine how to best stimulate this process through engineered manipulation of the physical or chemical environment of contaminated beaches. Using these results to understand the in-situ biodegradation of oil in the beaches of PWS presents some challenges, as the field conditions are different from those established in the lab. For this reason, we propose to conduct in-situ measurement of background levels of oxygen and nutrients in the summer of 2009. In addition, we propose to test two alternative approaches to introducing oxygen and nutrients into the lower layer. These approaches will provide data on the hydraulic characteristics of the lower layer at the test beaches. These data will be important in evaluating and deploying pilot testing of candidate bioremediation technologies, should it be determined that the absence of oxygen and/or nutrients in this layer is a key factor in limiting oil biodegradation.


Proposal: View (560 KB)

Reports:
Final Report: See Project 070836

Publications from this Project: None Available