SGER: A KEY TO SEDIMENT REMEDIATION: DEHALORESPIRERS AND A POSSIBLE NATURAL NICHE

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0541900 NovakGiven the extremely high cost associated with contaminated sediments in the US, both in terms of human and ecological health and in terms of dollars, research on low-cost methods of remediation is of critical importance. Although in situ bioremediation is promising, one major challenge that remains is how to effectively stimulate indigenous dehalorespirers in the presence of sorbed contaminants of limited bioavailability. The addition of alternative electron acceptors to contaminated sediment is able to successfullystimulate the growth of these organisms, encouraging the desorption and degradation of weathered contaminants. Alternative electron acceptors used to date have also been toxic and/or bioaccumulative, precluding their use in the environment. There is evidence that natural alternative electron acceptors for dehalorespirers exist. The proposed research is designed to test the hypothesis that dehalorespirers are a natural component of uncontaminated ecosystems, where their niche is the respiration of natural chlorinated organic compounds derived from humifying plant material. The proposed research is designed to test the hypothesis that dehalorespirers are a natural component of uncontaminated ecosystems where their niche is the respiration of natural chlorinated organic compounds derived from humifying plant material.