NSERC/CO-OP Industrial Research Chair in In Situ Remediation and Risk Assessment

在这个IRC项目的第一个学期，我们开发并展示了一种可靠的技术，在六个被汽油或柴油污染的地点将碳氢化合物减少90%以上。第二个任期的目标是发展的方法，将进一步减少土壤中的碳氢化合物到最低水平。我们假设，有一个最佳的平衡肥料成分，如磷酸盐，镁，柠檬酸盐，硫酸盐，铁，硝酸盐，这将刺激一个强大的降解微生物群落。我们将开发新的方法来计算在许多不同的草原土壤类型中的最佳平衡。为了开发新的计算方法，我们将确定与成功修复相关的微生物和离子的平衡，然后创建一个新的肥料组合，这将刺激加拿大西部的成功修复。我们假设，添加到生物刺激溶液中的有机酸或脂肪酸可能对这一区域的修复至关重要，或者存在与痕量修复相关的有机磷化合物。或者，微生物和矿物质之间的相互作用可能在非常低的烃浓度下增加重要性，我们需要了解矿物质如何控制修复。第一个IRC术语为36名人员提供了培训，其中20人是妇女，第二阶段设想再培训19至40人。学生们很容易在环境部门找到工作，因为学生们与工业界密切合作，建立软技能和商业网络。在这样做的过程中，IRC计划为学生提供了一个理想的桥梁，让他们从学术培训过渡到他们所选择的研究领域的就业。在IRC的第二个学期结束时，我们将开发、部署和验证一个经济上可行的方法。

In the first term of this IRC program, we developed and demonstrated a reliable technique to reducehydrocarbons by over 90% at six sites polluted with gasoline or diesel. The goal of the second term of this IRCis to develop approaches that will further reduce hydrocarbons in soil to minimal levels.We hypothesize that there is an optimal balance of fertilizer components such as phosphate, magnesium,citrate, sulfate, iron, and nitrate that will stimulate a robust degrading microbial community. We will developnew ways to calculate what this optimal balance across the many different Prairie soil types.To develop the new calculations, we will identify the balance of microbes and ions associated with successfulremediation and then create a new fertilizer mix that will stimulate successful remediation across westernCanada. We hypothesize that organic or fatty acids added to the biostimulatory solution may be critical to thistrace remediation, or that there is an organic phosphorus compound associated with trace remediation.Alternatively, the interactions between microbes and minerals may increase in importance at very lowhydrocarbon concentrations and we need to understand how minerals control remediation.The first IRC term provided training for 36 personnel, of which 20 were women, and the second phaseenvisions training an additional 19 to 40 personnel. Students readily found employment in the environmentalsector because the students work closely with industry, building soft skills and a business network. In so doing,the IRC program provides an ideal bridge for students to cross from their academic training to employment intheir chosen field of study.At the conclusion of this second term of the IRC, we will have developed, deployed and validated aneconomically viable method