In the late 1970s and early 1980s, our nation began to grapple with the legacy of past disposal practices for toxic chemicals. With the passage in 1980 of the Comprehensive Envir- mental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), commonly known as Sup- fund, it became the law of the land to remediate these sites. The U. S. Department of Defense (DoD), the nation’s largest industrial organization, also recognized that it too had a legacy of contaminated sites. Historic operations at Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps facilities, ranges, manufacturing sites, shipyards, and depots had resulted in widespread contamination of soil, groundwater, and sediment. While Superfund began in 1980 to focus on remediation of heavily contaminated sites largely abandoned or neglected by the private sector, the DoD had already initiated its Installation Restoration Program in the mid-1970s. In 1984, the DoD began the Defense Environmental Restoration Program (DERP) for contaminated site assessment and remediation. Two years later, the U. S. Congress codified the DERP and directed the Secretary of Defense to carry out a concurrent program of research, development, and demonstration of innovative remediation technologies. As chronicled in the 1994 National Research Council report, “Ranking Hazardous-Waste Sites for Remedial Action,” our early estimates on the cost and suitability of existing techn- ogies for cleaning up contaminated sites were wildly optimistic. Original estimates, in 1980, projected an average Superfund cleanup cost of a mere $3.

Sites contaminated with chlorinated compounds pose health risks and are challenging and often expensive to treat in the field. This volume brings together the most up-to-date laboratory findings and the latest full-scale results from bioremediation efforts at actual field sites. Engineering approaches discussed include biobarriers, cometabolism, bioaugmentation, in situ oxidation, Fenton's Reagent, in situ bioremediation, and more.

​This volume provides a review of the past 10 to 15 years of intensive research, development and demonstrations that have been on the forefront of developing bioaugmentation into a viable remedial technology. This volume provides both a primer on the basic microbial processes involved in bioaugmentation, as well as a thorough summary of the methodology for implementing the technology. This reference volume will serve as a valuable resource for environmental remediation professionals who seek to understand, evaluate, and implement bioaugmentation.

Halogenated volatile organic compounds, including chlorinated solvents, are the most frequently-occurring type of soil and groundwater contaminant at Superfund and other hazardous waste sites in the United States. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that, over the next several decades, site owners will spend billions of dollars to clean up these sites. New technologies that are less costly and more effective are needed to accomplish hazardous waste site remediation. As these new and innovative technologies are being developed and used, site managers require information on how they work, their performance to date, and how to evaluate their application at a particular site. This report provides an overview of the fundamentals and field applications of in situ bioremediation to remediate chlorinated solvents in contaminated soil and groundwater. In situ treatment is increasingly being selected to remediate sites because it is usually less expensive, and does not require waste extraction or excavation. In addition, in situ bioremediation is more publicly acceptable than above-ground technologies because it relies on natural processes to treat contaminants. This document presents information at a level of detail intended to familiarize federal and state project managers, permit writers, technology users, and contractors with in situ bioremediation. The report describes how chlorinated solvents are degraded, how to enhance the process by the addition of various materials and chemicals, design configurations, and the typical steps taken to evaluate technology feasibility at a specific site. It also includes a list of technology vendors and nine case studies of field applications. It is important to note that this report cannot be used as the sole basis for determining this technology's applicability to a specific site.

Provides a detailed background of the technologies available for the bioremediation of contaminated soil & ground water. Prepared for scientists, consultants, regulatory personnel, & others who are associated in some way with the restoration of soil & ground water at hazardous waste sites. Also provides insights to emerging technologies which are at the research level of formation, ranging from theoretical concepts, through bench scale inquiries, to limited field-scale investigations. 95 tables & figures.