Remediation in Challenging Environments: A New Approach for Accelerating Bioremediation in Cold Climates

具有挑战性的环境中的修复：加速寒冷气候下生物修复的新方法

• 批准号: RGPIN-2014-05902
• 负责人: Chang, WonJae
• 金额: $ 1.75万
• 依托单位: University of Saskatchewan
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2016
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2016-01-01 至 2017-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=611914
• 关键词: Remediation; Challenging; Environments; New; Approach

In Canada, the Federal Contaminated Sites Inventory lists more than 21,000 sites that are contaminated or suspected of being contaminated. In about 80% of the total number of contaminated sites, it is the soil environments, including surface and subsurface soils, sediments and groundwater, which are contaminated. The most frequently identified contaminants at these sites are petroleum hydrocarbons, which are non-aqueous phase liquids that include toxic and carcinogenic organic compounds. In many of the contaminated sites in Canada, hydrocarbon contamination exists in cold-climate soil environments. The ground in cold regions remains semi-frozen and frozen for 6 to 9 months of the year, which greatly shortens the active treatment period compared to temperate regions. In cold regions, current remedial strategies and on-site activities, regardless of the type of remediation technology, have often been designed to be effective only during the summer months (only 2 to 4 months per year). Considering the large number of hydrocarbon-impacted sites and the environmental risks associated with toxic and carcinogenic hydrocarbon fractions, there is a strong demand for new research and development concerning more efficient, more cost-effective, and low-energy remediation technologies for hydrocarbon-impacted soil environments in cold climates. My recent research shed light on how to overcome the current limitations of site remediation technologies applied to cold-climate sites. In the Discovery research, I will focus on how to accelerate the bioremediation during short summers and how to extend the bioremediation to non-summer months. My research program is divided into three themes: 1) New Approach for Assessing Bioremediation Feasibility and Selecting an Effective Strategy; 2) Accelerated Bioremediation during Short Summers; and 3) Extended Long-Term Bioremediation during Cold Months. The associated short-term objectives are to: 1. Quantitatively explain how bioaccessible microsites in soil particles are related to the enhancement of biodegradation activity and to the optimization of unfrozen water characteristics; 2. Develop a freeze-thaw induced Separation–Dissolution–Biodegradation (SDB) ex situ treatment to be applied during short summers in cold climates; 3. Enhance, measure, and predict microbial activity related to hydrocarbon biodegradation during non-summer months. My research will be expanded in the long-term to produce ‘engineering products’. A larger-scale statistical decision-making system for bioremediation that can be linked to the Federal Contaminated Sites Inventory will be developed using the results from Theme 1. The SDB process developed in Theme 2 will be tested in scale-up systems in the field and will be considered a patentable technology. From Theme 3, the developed microbial activity model will be expanded to become an effective tool for climate change-adaptive remediation design and management for mine wastes buried in seasonally freezing and thawing or frozen ground. The expected outcomes of the research into expanding decision-making models, remediation strategies, and management principles to include periods beyond short summers will clearly benefit the Canadian public, provincial and federal contaminated site programs, and the energy, mining, and remediation industries. Overall, the proposed research related to the environmental sustainability of cold regions impacted by intensified natural resource development and industrial activities will contribute to meeting Canada’s needs today and become one of the most important research fields for Canada’s future. The research is thus on the frontline of Canada’s innovation for sustainable development and environmental protection.

在加拿大，联邦污染场地清单列出了超过 21,000 个被污染或疑似被污染的场地，其中约 80% 的污染场地是土壤环境，包括地表和地下土壤、沉积物和地下水，这些场所最常发现的污染物是石油烃，它们是包含有毒和致癌有机化合物的非水相液体。 在加拿大的许多污染地点，碳氢化合物污染存在于寒冷气候的土壤环境中，寒冷地区的地面每年有6至9个月处于半冻结和冰冻状态，与温带地区相比，大大缩短了积极处理的周期。在寒冷地区，目前的修复策略和现场活动，无论采用哪种修复技术，通常都被设计为仅在夏季有效（每年仅 2 至 4 个月）。 考虑到受碳氢化合物影响的地点数量众多以及与有毒和致癌碳氢化合物馏分相关的环境风险，迫切需要针对受碳氢化合物影响的更高效、更具成本效益和低能耗的修复技术进行新的研究和开发。寒冷气候下的土壤环境。 我最近的研究揭示了如何克服目前应用于寒冷气候场地的场地修复技术的局限性。在发现研究中，我将重点关注如何在短暂的夏季加速生物修复以及如何将生物修复扩展到非夏季。我的研究计划分为三个主题：1）评估生物修复可行性和选择有效策略的新方法；2）短期夏季加速生物修复；寒冷月份的长期生物修复相关的短期目标是： 1. 定量解释土壤颗粒中生物可接近的微位点如何与生物降解活性的增强和未冻水特性的优化相关； 2. 开发一种冻融诱导的分离-溶解-生物降解（SDB）异位处理方法，适用于寒冷气候的短暂夏季； 3. 增强、测量和预测非夏季月份与碳氢化合物生物降解相关的微生物活动。 从长远来看，我的研究将得到扩展，以生产“工程产品”。将利用主题 1 的结果开发一个可与联邦污染场地清单联系起来的更大规模的生物修复统计决策系统。主题 2 中开发的工艺将在现场放大系统中进行测试，并将被视为可专利技术。从主题 3 开始，开发的微生物活动模型将扩展为气候的有效工具。针对埋藏在季节性冻融或冻土中的矿山废物的变化适应性修复设计和管理。 该研究的预期成果是扩大决策模型、修复策略和管理原则，将短暂夏季以外的时间纳入其中，这显然将使加拿大公众、省和联邦污染场地计划以及能源、采矿和修复行业受益。 总体而言，拟议的有关受自然资源开发和工业活动集约化影响的寒冷地区环境可持续性的研究将有助于满足加拿大当今的需求，并成为加拿大未来最重要的研究领域之一。加拿大在可持续发展和环境保护方面的创新。