A better understanding of natural and alternative methods of cleaning contaminated sites is the goal of an Oak Ridge (Tenn.) National Laboratory project.
Researchers from ORNL said they hope to develop models that will help predict the rate at which contamination levels drop when using natural methods such as bioremediation — stimulating bacterial growth in the subsurface for cleanup — and artificial techniques such as chemical additions and pH adjustments.
Researchers said the 5-year study could have a major impact because subsurface contamination exists at more than 7,000 sites, affecting an estimated 1.7 trillion gallons of contaminated water and about 40 million cubic meters of contaminated soil, ORNL officials said in a news release.
Among the sites to be studied is the Environmental Remediation Science Program Field Research Center, a 243-acre contaminated area in Bear Creek Valley next to the Oak Ridge Y-12 National Security Complex.
Partners in the project, funded by the Department of Energy's Office of Science, are the University of Tennessee, Stanford University, Florida State University, the University of Oklahoma, Lawrence Berkeley and Argonne national laboratories.
