Development of Laboratory Scale Batch Experiments and a Numerical Model to Evaluate Biodegradation Kinetics of Carbon in the Arctic Region (Phase II)

Status: Ongoing - Phase I

Funding Agency: Department of War (DOW)

Abstract: 

This project conducts bench-scale laboratory experiments and numerical modeling to evaluate the biodegradation kinetics of carbon-based contaminants in Arctic soils. Carbon-based pollutants contaminate the Arctic environment and affect the overall resilience of the region. Soil bioremediation at low temperatures is a slow process, slowed further by typical environmental conditions such as nutrient limitations, salinity, toxicity, and oxygen and water availability. Building on the assessment completed in Phase I, this phase evaluates the biodegradation kinetics of carbon in the Arctic region through batch laboratory experiments and numerical modeling, in order to mitigate the environmental vulnerabilities that affect the resiliency of the region. The work consists of three main tasks. The first designs and conducts bench-scale batch experiments to study the biodegradation kinetics of carbon in the Arctic region. The second conducts batch experiments to study the effects of temperature and nutrient limitations on that biodegradation. The third develops a numerical model, based on Monod kinetics, to estimate the biodegradation kinetic parameters from the batch experiments in Tasks 1 and 2. Together these results give the DoD the ability to predict the time to bioremediate Arctic carbon under different environmental conditions, and they prepare the way for the later column-scale and field-scale phases of the program.

Investigators: Dr. Jagadish Torlapati, PhD.

Links to Publications: