Form 9.B Project Summary

Chron:

970812

Proposal Number:

11.02-0017B

Project Title:

Enhanced In situ Bioremediation of

Chlorinated Hydrocarbons

Technical Abstract (Limit 200 words)

Soil and groundwater contamination by chlorinated

ethenes, such as trichloroethylene and

dichloroethylene, is a widespread environmental

pollution problem. In many instances, it is standard

practice to excavate and transport the

contaminated soil to a suitable landfill or to

incinerate the soil to remove the contaminant. Such

practices are expensive, environmentally disruptive

and require extensive permitting. On-site and in

situ biological treatment of contaminated soil is a

safer and more economical method of permanently

solving this problem. This proposal describes an

unique in situ treatment method that uses low-cost

reactive micro-particles, introduced into the soil or

ground water to enhance biological degradation of

contaminants by the soil's native microorganisms.

The method has a high potential for public and

regulatory acceptance because of its low

environmental impact. The targeted contaminants

are degraded and the materials that remain in the

soil are environmentally benign. The method is

entirely passive, offering the potential of lower

operating and maintenance costs compared to

existing in situ methods. Adding the particles to the

soil does not require engineering modification of the

site and the flow of ground water is unaffected. If

the Phase I feasibility study is successful, a field

study of the method will be carried out at a NASA

site.

Potential Commercial Applications (Limit 200 words)

The commercial potential of the proposed method

arises from its ability to be used as a primary or

secondary technology for the treatment of

underground formations contaminated with

hazardous organic wastes. The method can be set

up promptly after accidental pollution takes place,

and it has the potential to be easily applied. This

technology can be readily transferred to the

commercial sector.

Name and Address of Principal Investigator (Name,

Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)

G. Duncan Hitchens

Lynntech, Inc.

7610 Eastmark Drive, Suite 105

College Station , TX 77840

Name and Address of Offeror (Firm Name, Mail Address,

City/State/Zip)

Oliver J. Murphy

Lynntech, Inc.

7610 Eastmark Drive, Suite 105

College Station , TX 77840