Enhanced endophyte:poplar system for remediation of organic contaminants

描述（由申请人提供）：三氯乙烯（TCE）是最常见的地下水污染物之一，是一种已知的肝毒素和致癌物质。它已被广泛用于工业和军事作为溶剂和脱脂剂。根据有毒物质和疾病登记署的数据，美国有800多个超级基金场所受到三氯乙烯污染。白杨具有生长快、根系发达、吸水率高、易于遗传操作等特点，是一种高效降解三氯乙烯的植物。虽然转基因白杨改善三氯乙烯降解已成功地进行了实地测试，但存在重大的监管和育种障碍，阻碍了这项技术的大规模使用。最近，研究人员已经确定了生活在植物细胞内的内生菌，共生细菌和真菌的潜力，以分解有机污染物并提高非转基因植物的植物修复能力。与其他用于植物修复的微生物不同，内生菌生活在植物中，因此预计在现场会更好地持续存在，只要它们的植物伴侣存活，就会继续降解TCE。Sharon Doty博士是第一阶段研究和第二阶段提案的合作伙伴，他从受TCE和其他有机污染物污染的杨树中分离出一种细菌菌株，这些污染物表现出很高的TCE降解率。第一阶段的结果表明，这种细菌内生菌的能力，坚持在白杨的根，并显着提高TCE的降解相比，对照白杨。在第二阶段，将在两个三氯乙烯污染的地点完成这种三氯乙烯细菌内生菌的实地测试，以去除地下水中的三氯乙烯，与对照白杨相比。此外，最近发现的一种细菌内生菌 作为多环芳烃降解剂，还将在单独的杨树和接种了TCE内生菌的杨树中进行测试，以确定该内生菌在存在和不存在TCE的情况下降解多环芳烃的效率。由于白杨也是一种潜在的生物质能源作物，将调查补救活动后生物质用于生物发电或生物燃料生产的可能性。成功完成SBIR项目后，Edenspace将与Geosyntec，Inc.合作，一家领先的环境工程公司，将这项新技术引入修复行业。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Trichloroethylene (TCE), one of the most common groundwater pollutants, is a known hepatotoxin and carcinogen. It has been widely used by industry and the military as a solvent and degreaser. According to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, more than eight hundred Superfund sites in the United States are contaminated with TCE. Poplar, which can accumulate and degrade TCE, is an attractive plant for phytoremediation of TCE and other organic contaminants due to its high growth rate, extensive root system, high rates of water uptake from the soil, and ease of genetic manipulation. While transgenic poplar for improved TCE degradation has been successfully field tested, there are significant regulatory and breeding hurdles preventing the large-scale use of this technology. Recently, researchers have determined the potential of endophytes, symbiotic bacteria and fungi that live within plant cells, to break down organic contaminants and improve the phytoremediation capability of non-transgenic plants. Unlike other microbes that have been used for phytoremediation, endophytes live within the plant and therefore are expected to persist better at the site, continuing to degrade TCE as long as their plant partner survives. Dr. Sharon Doty, partner on the Phase I research and Phase II proposal, isolated a bacterial strain from poplar growing in sites contaminated with TCE and other organic pollutants that exhibited high rates of TCE degradation. Phase I results demonstrated the ability of this bacterial endophyte to persist in the roots of poplar trees and significantly enhance the degradation of TCE compared to control poplar. In Phase II, the field testing of this TCE bacterial endophyte will be accomplished at two TCE-contaminated sites for removal of TCE from groundwater compared to control poplar. In addition, the inclusion of a bacterial endophyte recently identified as a PAH degrader will also be tested in separate poplars and in those also inoculated with the TCE endophyte to determine the efficiency of this endophyte to degrade PAHs in the presence and absence of TCE. Because poplar is also a potential biomass energy crop, the potential use of the biomass for biopower or biofuel production following remedial activities will be investigated. Upon successful completion of this SBIR project, Edenspace will partner with Geosyntec, Inc., a leading environmental engineering firm, to introduce this novel technology to the remediation industry.