Application of anaerobic salt-tolerant microorganisms to treatment of saline waste streams

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The objectives for this project are to establish technologies that can remove contaminants from contaminated waters that might not otherwise be considered treatable.  An important aspect of a sustainable society is its water supply.  The treatment of drinking water to remove unhealthy contaminants is crucial to this goal, as is the removal of contaminants from industrial wastewaters before discharging them to the environment.  One thrust of the proposed research is the removal of perchlorate and nitrate from drinking water.  Perchlorate is a contaminant that is being found more and more frequently in drinking water sources throughout North America and Europe as a result of contamination from military and industrial activities such as the manufacture and use of rocketry, fireworks, and automobile airbags.  Recent studies also suggest that perchlorate may occur naturally and it has been found in many foods such as lettuce and milk.  Removing perchlorate from agricultural water sources may be important to protect the food sources.  The health effects of perchlorate are related to the function of the thyroid gland, which controls early development and life long metabolic processes.  Recent studies suggest that even very low levels of perchlorate in drinking water correlate with decreased thyroid function in humans.  Nitrate has long been known to cause changes in the oxygen carrying capacity of the blood of infants causing "blue baby" syndrome.  Nitrate is typically a co-contaminant with perchlorate.  The development of treatment processes to remove perchlorate and nitrate from contaminated water is imperative to protect the health of Canadian citizens.  The other thrust of the proposal is the development of technology capable of removing oil contaminants from oil exploration and recovery operations produced water.  Produced water is saline and not amenable to regular biological treatment.  The ability to remove contaminants from this type of waste will greatly aid in the work underway to restore natural environments in Canada exposed to the poor practices of the past and provide a mechanism to prevent further contamination.