Hydrogen as an Indicator to Assess Biological Activity During Trace-Metal Bioremediation
Year: 2002
Type: article
Abstract: The design and operation of a trace-metal or radionuclide bioremediation scheme requires that specific redox conditions be achieved at given zones of an aquifer for a pre-determined duration. Tools are therefore needed to identify and quantify the terminal electron accepting processes (TEAPs) that are being achieved during bioremediation in an aquifer, and that this be done at a high spatial resolution. Dissolved hydrogen (H{sub 2}) concentrations have been shown to correlate with specific TEAPs during bioremediation in an aquifer (Table 1). Theoretical analysis has shown that these steady-state hydrogen levels are solely dependent upon the physiological parameters of the hydrogen-consuming microorganisms, with hydrogen concentrations increasing as each successive TEAP yields less energy for bacterial growth. The assumptions for this statement may not hold during a bioremediation scheme in which an organic substrate is injected into the subsurface and where organisms may consume hydrogen and carbon simultaneously. This research examines the effects of simultaneous hydrogen and carbon utilization through obtaining kinetic parameters of both hydrogen and carbon consumption under iron reducing conditions in batch experiments. A dual-donor model was formulated and compared to flow-through column experiments.
Language: English
Subfield: Environmental Engineering
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W3094216811