Jump to main content.


Research Project Search
 Enter Search Term:
   
 NCER Advanced Search

Biodetoxification of Mixed Solid and Hazardous Wastes by Staged Anaerobic Fermentation Conducted at Separate Redox and pH Environments

EPA Grant Number: R825549C031
Subproject: this is subproject number 031 , established and managed by the Center Director under grant R825549
(EPA does not fund or establish subprojects; EPA awards and manages the overall grant for this center).

Center: HSRC (1989) - Great Plains/Rocky Mountain HSRC
Center Director: Erickson, Larry E.
Title: Biodetoxification of Mixed Solid and Hazardous Wastes by Staged Anaerobic Fermentation Conducted at Separate Redox and pH Environments
Investigators: Ghosh, Sam
Institution: University of Utah
EPA Project Officer: Manty, Dale
Project Period: February 1, 1990 through September 1, 1992
Project Amount: Refer to main center abstract for funding details.
RFA: Hazardous Substance Research Centers - HSRC (1989)
Research Category: Organic Chemical Contamination of Soil/Water

Description:

Objective:

The objective of this research was to study the fate, pattern, and kinetics of anaerobic biodegradation of solid and hazardous wastes under pH and redox environments that develop during acidogenic and methanogenic fermentations of such solid waste deposits as municipal landfills, sludge deposits, industrial waste heaps, and Superfund sites. An important goal of this project was to develop a staged anaerobic fermentation system for accelerated anaerobic biodegradation of mixed solid and hazardous wastes with simultaneous removal of heavy metals under the separate environments of acidogenic and methanogenic bioreactors. The solid waste deposit acts as the acidogenic reactor in such a two-stage system.

Approach:

This research was aimed at developing a two-stage anaerobic bioprocessing system for the simultaneous removal/destruction of hazardous organics and inorganics, and stabilization and gasification of non-hazardous organic wastes. In this study, processed MSW was used as the organic solid waste. The bioprocess system consisted of a solid-phase anaerobic fermenter that could be operated in tandem with a packed-bed methanogenic reactor capable of gasifying the solid-phase leachate. The solid-phase reactor was operated to promote liquefaction and acidification of the MSW. Liquefaction of solids and acidification of the liquefaction products were promoted by intermittent recirculation of the reactor effluent (leachate).

The bioprocess system used in this research was expected to provide ecological niches in which co-metabolism of hazardous pollutants as secondary substrates and/or electron acceptors could occur owing to promotion of hydrolysis, hydration, dehydration, dehydrohalogenation, carboxylation, beta-oxidation, reductive dehalogenation, and other enzymatic reactions.

The project consisted of the following major tasks: development of a two-stage bioprocess system design, installation, shakedown and operation; residence-time distribution studies; preparation of RDF-quality MSW; development of gas chromatographic techniques for measurement of selected hazardous substances; adsorption studies; culture development; solid-phase fermentation runs to study the biodegradation patterns and kinetics of removal of BTX and DCA; and heavy-metal removal studies.

Expected Results:

In the proposed research approach, co-stabilization of mixed hazardous and solid wastes, and bioleaching and removal of heavy metals are expected to be accomplished under these separate redox and pH environments which could provide ecological niches to promote such reactions as hydrolysis, acidification, hydration, reductive dehalogenation, dehydrohalogenation, dentrification, methanation, and polymeric complexation.

Publications and Presentations:

Publications have been submitted on this subproject: View all 1 publications for this subprojectView all 900 publications for this center

Supplemental Keywords:

anaerobic biodegradation, acidogenic, methanogenic. , Water, Geographic Area, Scientific Discipline, Waste, RFA, Remediation, Analytical Chemistry, Hazardous Waste, EPA Region, Municipal, Environmental Chemistry, Contaminated Sediments, Hazardous, Ecology and Ecosystems, Geochemistry, Bioremediation, heavy metals, biodegradation, fate and transport, fate and transport , heavy metals removal, anaerobic biodegradation, redox, solid waste, chemical transport, groundwater, hydrodynamics, anaerobic digestion, hazardous organic contaminants, hazardous organic compounds, Region 8, hydrolysis, cometabolism, anaerobic biotransformation, anaerobic fermentation, biodegradable materials, metals, contaminated soil, biochemistry, supercritical fluids, adsorbent regeneration, hazardous waste characterization, hazardous waste treatment, hydrodynamic modeling, Region 7, municipal solid waste, municipal waste, anaerobic treatment

Progress and Final Reports:
Final Report


Main Center Abstract and Reports:
R825549    HSRC (1989) - Great Plains/Rocky Mountain HSRC

Subprojects under this Center: (EPA does not fund or establish subprojects; EPA awards and manages the overall grant for this center).
R825549C006 Fate of Trichloroethylene (TCE) in Plant/Soil Systems
R825549C007 Experimental Study of Stabilization/Solidification of Hazardous Wastes
R825549C008 Modeling Dissolved Oxygen, Nitrate and Pesticide Contamination in the Subsurface Environment
R825549C009 Vadose Zone Decontamination by Air Venting
R825549C010 Thermochemical Treatment of Hazardous Wastes
R825549C011 Development, Characterization and Evaluation of Adsorbent Regeneration Processes for Treament of Hazardous Waste
R825549C012 Computer Method to Estimate Safe Level Water Quality Concentrations for Organic Chemicals
R825549C013 Removal of Nitrogenous Pesticides from Rural Well-Water Supplies by Enzymatic Ozonation Process
R825549C014 The Characterization and Treatment of Hazardous Materials from Metal/Mineral Processing Wastes
R825549C015 Adsorption of Hazardous Substances onto Soil Constituents
R825549C016 Reclamation of Metal and Mining Contaminated Superfund Sites using Sewage Sludge/Fly Ash Amendment
R825549C017 Metal Recovery and Reuse Using an Integrated Vermiculite Ion Exchange - Acid Recovery System
R825549C018 Removal of Heavy Metals from Hazardous Wastes by Protein Complexation for their Ultimate Recovery and Reuse
R825549C019 Development of In-situ Biodegradation Technology
R825549C020 Migration and Biodegradation of Pentachlorophenol in Soil Environment
R825549C021 Deep-Rooted Poplar Trees as an Innovative Treatment Technology for Pesticide and Toxic Organics Removal from Soil and Groundwater
R825549C022 In-situ Soil and Aquifer Decontaminaiton using Hydrogen Peroxide and Fenton's Reagent
R825549C023 Simulation of Three-Dimensional Transport of Hazardous Chemicals in Heterogeneous Soil Cores Using X-ray Computed Tomography
R825549C024 The Response of Natural Groundwater Bacteria to Groundwater Contamination by Gasoline in a Karst Region
R825549C025 An Electrochemical Method for Acid Mine Drainage Remediation and Metals Recovery
R825549C026 Sulfide Size and Morphology Identificaiton for Remediation of Acid Producing Mine Wastes
R825549C027 Heavy Metals Removal from Dilute Aqueous Solutions using Biopolymers
R825549C028 Neutron Activation Analysis for Heavy Metal Contaminants in the Environment
R825549C029 Reducing Heavy Metal Availability to Perennial Grasses and Row-Crops Grown on Contaminated Soils and Mine Spoils
R825549C030 Alachlor and Atrazine Losses from Runoff and Erosion in the Blue River Basin
R825549C031 Biodetoxification of Mixed Solid and Hazardous Wastes by Staged Anaerobic Fermentation Conducted at Separate Redox and pH Environments
R825549C032 Time Dependent Movement of Dioxin and Related Compounds in Soil
R825549C033 Impact of Soil Microflora on Revegetation Efforts in Southeast Kansas
R825549C034 Modeling the use of Plants in Remediation of Soil and Groundwater Contaminated by Hazardous Organic Substances
R825549C035 Development of Electrochemical Processes for Improved Treatment of Lead Wastes
R825549C036 Innovative Treatment and Bank Stabilization of Metals-Contaminated Soils and Tailings along Whitewood Creek, South Dakota
R825549C037 Formation and Transformation of Pesticide Degradation Products Under Various Electron Acceptor Conditions
R825549C038 The Effect of Redox Conditions on Transformations of Carbon Tetrachloride
R825549C039 Remediation of Soil Contaminated with an Organic Phase
R825549C040 Intelligent Process Design and Control for the Minimization of Waste Production and Treatment of Hazardous Waste
R825549C041 Heavy Metals Removal from Contaminated Water Solutions
R825549C042 Metals Soil Pollution and Vegetative Remediation
R825549C043 Fate and Transport of Munitions Residues in Contaminated Soil
R825549C044 The Role of Metallic Iron in the Biotransformation of Chlorinated Xenobiotics
R825549C045 Use of Vegetation to Enhance Bioremediation of Surface Soils Contaminated with Pesticide Wastes
R825549C046 Fate and Transport of Heavy Metals and Radionuclides in Soil: The Impacts of Vegetation
R825549C047 Vegetative Interceptor Zones for Containment of Heavy Metal Pollutants
R825549C048 Acid-Producing Metalliferous Waste Reclamation by Material Reprocessing and Vegetative Stabilization
R825549C049 Laboratory and Field Evaluation of Upward Mobilization and Photodegradation of Polychlorinated Dibenzo-P-Dioxins and Furans in Soil
R825549C050 Evaluation of Biosparging Performance and Process Fundamentals for Site Remediation
R825549C051 Field Scale Bioremediation: Relationship of Parent Compound Disappearance to Humification, Mineralization, Leaching, Volatilization of Transformaiton Intermediates
R825549C052 Chelating Extraction of Heavy Metals from Contaminated Soils
R825549C053 Application of Anaerobic and Multiple-Electron-Acceptor Bioremediation to Chlorinated Aliphatic Subsurface Contamination
R825549C054 Application of PGNAA Remote Sensing Methods to Real-Time, Non-Intrusive Determination of Contaminant Profiles in Soils
R825549C055 Design and Development of an Innovative Industrial Scale Process to Economically Treat Waste Zinc Residues
R825549C056 Remediation of Soils Contaminated with Wood-Treatment Chemicals (PCP and Creosote)
R825549C057 Effects of Surfactants on the Bioavailability and Biodegradation of Contaminants in Soils
R825549C058 Contaminant Binding to the Humin Fraction of Soil Organic Matter
R825549C059 Identifying Ground-Water Threats from Improperly Abandoned Boreholes
R825549C060 Uptake of BTEX Compounds by Hybrid Poplar Trees in Hazardous Waste Remediation
R825549C061 Biofilm Barriers for Waste Containment
R825549C062 Plant Assisted Remediation of Soil and Groundwater Contaminated by Hazardous Organic Substances: Experimental and Modeling Studies
R825549C063 Extension of Laboratory Validated Treatment and Remediation Technologies to Field Problems in Aquifer Soil and Water Contamination by Organic Waste Chemicals

Top of page

The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.


Local Navigation


Jump to main content.