BIOREMEDIATION - A COMPETITIVE ALTERNATIVE FOR THE CLEANUP OF CONTAMINATED MGP SITES

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are characteristically highly carcinogenic, microbial recalcitrant, and accumulate easily in soil an d groundwater. This contributes to the increasing environmental concer n of contamination from PAHs. PAH contamination occurs primarily from leaking underground storage tanks and manufactured gas plant (MGP) sit es. In this work, contaminated soil was analyzed for feasibility of cl eanup via bioremediation, and selection criteria for the microorganism s were developed for the specificity of a MGP site. The bioremediation process was compared with the ex-situ processes of coal agloflotation , solvent extraction, and supercritical fluid extraction.