A BIOENGINEERING SYSTEM FOR IN-SITU BIOREMEDIATION OF CONTAMINATED GROUNDWATER

Much of the past and current focus of bioremediation has been on labor atory studies of microbial processes. By necessity, early studies have ignored important field properties, parameters, and processes that co ntrol the ultimate success of in situ bioremediation of contaminated g roundwater. This paper presents a bioengineering systems approach that examines the impact of some of these field variables on common biorem ediation practices. Using simple systems, the niche of biostimulation is shown to be aquifers with high contaminant sorption. A novel gaspha se biostimulation filter and a novel resting-state bioaugmentation/bio filter approach which show promise for effective field implementation are discussed.