Tuesday, July 26, 2011: 9:00 AM
Nottoway, 4th fl (Sheraton New Orleans)
Three trichloroethylene (TCE) remediation technologies – permanganate-based in situ chemical oxidation (ISCO), six-phase heating (SPH), and stem injection (SI) – were applied in a sandy soil with a shallow water table at Cape Canaveral Air Station in Florida. To investigate the effect of each remediation technology affected the indigenous microbial biomass and community structure of the extant microbiota, 266 samples were collected at four depths (subsurface layer) between 2 and 13 meters in the three treatment plots with their site control locations. The soil core samples were analyzed the quantity of phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs) and its composition for indication of the in situ status of microbial populations. Results were used to determine the immediate effect that each remediation technology on the indigenous microbial communities and establish how quickly the microbial communities at the site recover and if any of the effects could be long-term during the course of the 3-year investigation. Multivariate statistical methods (cluster analysis and principal component analysis) were used to identify groups of samples showing similar patterns with respect to remediation technologies and PLFA composition. Also, we evaluated the usefulness of specific PFLA markers as indicators of changes in the composition of significant microbial community before and after remediation treatment.