What is bioremediation?

Bioremediation is the degradation of organic contaminants by subsurface microorganisms.  Essentially, bacteria that are naturally occurring in the subsurface assist in degrading organic contaminants, and bioremediation technologies help to optimize the subsurface conditions for increased bacterial growth in order to increase the rate of contamination degradation.

How can I benefit from bioremediation?

The bioremediation process presented here is a quick and cost-effective way to decrease chlorinated solvent contamination in the subsurface, and it has proven to be very effective in degrading dry cleaning fluid contamination present in site groundwater.

How does the soy based bioremediation technology work?

A volume of the soy-based formula is injected into the subsurface via an injection well.  The injection is followed by the pumping of air down the well, to create and maintain an environment with plenty of oxygen underground.

There are lots of bacteria that live in the subsurface, and when provided with the soy formula as a food source as well as oxygen, these bacterial populations thrive.  Initial small populations grow by several orders of magnitude in response to the soy and air injections.  As the growing number of subsurface bacteria metabolize the soy formula, they produce enzymes that are able to assist in degrading the contamination.  All of this typically happens within just a couple of months.

This bioremediation technology is entirely in-situ, that is, it takes place within the aquifer system.  There is no need to pump groundwater out of the aquifer and perform extensive treatment activities above the surface.  The aerobic process is also several times faster than anaerobic processes that are often applied to chlorinated solvent sites.

How much does it cost?

Soy based bioremediation is a very cost-effective technology, especially when compared with other remediation methods.  The actual cost depends on the individual project, and factors such as site size, concentration of contamination and existing site facilities.  KU Resources would be happy to provide further information about pricing on an individual basis, because each project is unique.

Where can I get more technical information?

Please download our Remediation Technical Update (PDF).

For more information, to request a copy of recent publications, or to discuss application of the technique, please contact Don Blackert by phone at (724) 228-8314, by email at dblackert@kuresources.com, or by mail at 485 Horne Run Road, Amity, PA 15311.