Enhanced Degradation of Persistent Hydrocarbon Residues Using a Combination of Chemical and Biological Oxidation Approaches

The shoreline and subsurface sediments of many coastal waters may be heavily contaminated with residual persistent hydrocarbon components associated with industrial operations. The degradation of these residual hydrocarbon components may be limited by a number of factors, including oxygen availability, bioavailability and biodegradability of the oil, and toxicity of various contaminant fractions. As a result, in situ contaminated site clean-up operations using a bioremediation strategy based on enrichment of nutrient levels may not always be an effective at these sites. To address these issues, a collaborative international study, with Washington University and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, will test the feasibility of a remediation strategy using a combination of chemical oxidation procedures and biodegradation.

DFO Contact:

Simon Courtenay

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