The goal of my biodegradation research is to understand the processes controlling the rate of biodegradation of contaminants in the subsurface. This understanding will form the basis of methods to increase degradation rates without causing further degradation of groundwater quality. Recent work has focused on the fate of crude oil and agricultural nitrate contamination in the subsurface. Specific objectives for the crude oil research include: (a) determine the rate that contaminants are transported from the source zone; (b) provide an estimate of how long the spilled oil will continue to pollute the groundwater; and (c) determine the fate of products of biodegradation or so-called “secondary water quality impacts” of bioremediation. [...]
Summary
The goal of my biodegradation research is to understand the processes controlling the rate of biodegradation of contaminants in the subsurface. This understanding will form the basis of methods to increase degradation rates without causing further degradation of groundwater quality. Recent work has focused on the fate of crude oil and agricultural nitrate contamination in the subsurface.
Specific objectives for the crude oil research include: (a) determine the rate that contaminants are transported from the source zone; (b) provide an estimate of how long the spilled oil will continue to pollute the groundwater; and (c) determine the fate of products of biodegradation or so-called “secondary water quality impacts” of bioremediation.
Specific objects of the nitrate research include (a) determining what controls the transformation rate of nitrate in the subsurface; (b) determining the residence time of nitrate contamination in groundwater.
The present goal of the pore pressure and faulting modeling is to understand how fluid pressure migrates from waste water injection wells to seismogenic faults.
