Innovative Remediation: Integral Geochemist Presents Papers at Battelle Conference in Monterey
Integral geochemist Steven Helgen presented papers on enhanced site remediation techniques at Battelle’s Seventh International Conference on Remediation of Chlorinated and Recalcitrant Compounds held in Monterey, California, on May 24–27, 2010. Attracting more than 1,000 participants, the conference focused on the innovative application of existing or new technologies or approaches to address the challenges of characterization, treatment, and monitoring of chlorinated and other recalcitrant compounds in various environmental media.
During a technical session highlighting innovative site assessment tools, Mr. Helgen presented a paper prepared with J.E. Vondracek of Ashland titled “Isotopic Analysis of Carbon Sources and Degradation Pathways in Soil Vapor and Groundwater.” This paper explores using isotopic analysis to perform a mass balance on carbon attributable to aerobic and anaerobic degradation of volatile organic compounds (VOC), using both groundwater and soil vapor data. His analysis identified two important processes associated with increased oxygen supply during soil vapor extraction operations: stimulation of aerobic degradation of aromatic VOCs and associated cometabolism of chlorinated solvents.
In addition, Mr. Helgen presented a poster titled “Evidence of Biosurfactant-Enhanced Soil Vapor Extraction Recovery Associated with Biostimulation,” also coauthored with J.E. Vondracek. Results showed increased recovery of VOC during a bioremediation pilot test, with the data providing numerous lines of evidence that biostimulation increased the production of biosurfactants, leading to a sustained increase in VOC recovery. Application of this technique has the potential to accelerate remedial timeframes for both active recovery and enhanced biodegradation.
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