Addition of cultured, contaminant-degrading microorganisms to the subsurface to accelerate biodegradation. Most commonly used with Dehalococcoides cultures for complete dechlorination of TCE and PCE to ethene.
Bioaugmentation injects pre-grown, contaminant-specific microbial cultures into a treatment volume where the indigenous population either lacks the required organisms or lacks them in sufficient density. The best-known commercial cultures are KB-1, SDC-9, and BAC-9, all dominated by Dehalococcoides species capable of dechlorinating cis-1,2-DCE and vinyl chloride to ethene, the kinetic bottleneck of natural anaerobic dechlorination.
Bioaugmentation is typically paired with biostimulation: electron donor (lactate, emulsified vegetable oil, molasses) is injected to drive the geochemistry strongly reducing, and the bioaugmentation culture is added once conditions favour Dehalococcoides growth. Performance is governed by substrate distribution, redox conditions, and competing electron sinks such as sulfate reduction and methanogenesis.
Also known as: bioaugmentation.
Petroleum Hydrocarbons: treatment approach
The full spectrum of petroleum-derived organic compounds — crude oil, condensate, diesel, gasoline, jet fuel, and bunker fuel — reported analytically as total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) in gasoline-range (C6–C10), diesel-range (C10–C28), and heavy-range (C28–C40) fractions.
An ex-situ soil treatment process that heats contaminated soil to volatilize and separate organic contaminants from the soil matrix, after which the liberated vapors are captured and treated, usually in a high-temperature oxidizer.
A thermal desorption configuration where the heat source contacts the soil directly inside the rotary unit, delivering high heat-transfer efficiency and supporting higher treatment temperatures.
A thermal desorption configuration where heat is conducted through the wall of the treatment vessel without combustion gases contacting the soil, producing a concentrated, lower-volume vapor stream suitable for condensation and recovery.
Treatment that heats contaminated soil and groundwater in place, typically with electrical resistance, thermal conduction, or steam injection, to volatilize and recover contaminants without excavation. Used where excavation is impractical or where the contaminant zone sits beneath active infrastructure.