Applying a Modular PET System to Investigate Bioremediation of Subsurface Contamination: A Proof-of-Principle Study

Abstract

Remediation of subsurface contamination using microbial consortium can be less toxic to the environment and ecosystems than using chemical dispersants or physical measures. But bioremediation involves complex and dynamic processes in a visually opaque medium, which can be difficult to monitor. Positron emission tomography (PET), which reveals the dynamic distribution of labeled molecules, offers a means to probe into the bioremediation process. This study evaluates and verifies the feasibility of employing a freely-rearrangeable modular PET system (BioPET) in combination with a generic tomographic image reconstruction platform, CASToR, for tracking fluid transport, as well as metabolic activities, occurrence, and distribution of subsurface microorganisms. This enables quantitative imaging of bioremediation processes in high resolution with further expanding the flexible modular system and refining the data processing algorithms.