Biostimulation for Anaerobic Bioremediation of Chlorinated Solvents

Abstract

Chlorinated solvents often were released to the subsurface environment in wastewater or in the form of dense nonaqueous phase liquids (DNAPLs). As a result of their physical and chemical properties, chlorinated solvents are difficult to remediate once they have migrated into groundwater. However, enhanced in situ anaerobic bioremediation can be an effective method of degrading chlorinated solvents dissolved in groundwater, including chloroethenes, chloroethanes, and chloromethanes (collectively referred to as chlorinated aliphatic hydrocarbons, or CAHs). Advantages of enhanced in situ anaerobic bioremediation include the potential for complete detoxification of chlorinated solvents with little impact on infrastructure and relatively low cost compared to more active and aggressive engineered remedial systems.