Enhancing Production of Biosurfactants for Xenobiotic Re- mediation

这一奖项是为了支持一项概念的研究，该概念利用具有天然能力的微生物攻击吸附在土壤颗粒上的有机化合物，并确定表面活性剂的存在是否可以促进生物降解。研究人员计划建立一个明确的模型系统，该系统由一种萘饱和土壤和一种已知能有效降解这种化合物的有机体组成。然后，他计划评估合成表面活性剂对它们降解这种化合物的能力的影响，并确定是否可以利用已知的产生表面活性剂的细菌来取代合成表面活性剂，以更有效率和更有效地实现同样的最终结果。这项提案是为了响应NSF 88-99“研究启动奖”项目公告而提交的。预计结果将改进以生物为基础的修复的工程设计，潜在地与化学和/或物理系统相结合，以从土壤中去除可能是地下水污染物的污染物。

This is an award to support research on a concept for removing organic contaminants from soil using microorganisms with natural ability to attack the organic compounds adsorbed on soil particles and to determine whether biological degradation could be enhanced by presence of surfactants. The investigator plans on establishing a defined model system consisting of a naphthalene saturated soil and an organism known to efficiently degrade this compound. He then plans to evaluate the effects of synthetic surfactants on their ability to degrade this compound and to determine whether bacteria known to produce surfactants could be utilized in place of the synthetic surfactants to accomplish the same end result more efficiently and effectively. This proposal was submitted in response to Program Announcement NSF 88-99, Research Initiation Awards. Results are expected to improve the engineering design of biologically-based remediation, potentially coupled to chemical and/or physical systems for removing contaminants from soil that are likely contaminants of groundwater.