Pilot-scale bioremediation of PAH-contaminated soils.

The Institute of Gas Technology (IGT) conducted a pilot-scale study at a former manufactured gas plant (MGP) site in New Jersey. The objective of the study was to determine the effectiveness of an innovative chemical/biological treatment process (MGP-REM process) to remediate soils contaminated with polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). In order to identify the benefits of the MGP-REM process, the system was also operated in the conventional bioremediation mode. Results showed that the MGP-REM process can effectively treat PAH-contaminated MGP site soils, and it reduced the toxicity of the soil by a factor of 50, as indicated by the Microtox Toxicity Test. The MGP-REM process was 70% more efficient than conventional bioremediation in the removal of the PAHs from the soils. Air emissions data suggest that minimal air pollution control and monitoring are required for the slurry-phase application of both the MGP-REM process and the conventional biological treatment. Process economics indicate that the MGP-REM process in a slurry-phase mode has an estimated treatment cost of $100/cubic yard for remediation of PAH-contaminated soils.