Molecular Biological Tools for Assessing an EOS Project

Greg Davis, Brett Baldwin and Dora Ogles (Microbial Insights, Inc.)

Evaluation of trends in contaminant concentrations and geochemical parameters provides valuable, but indirect, evidence of biodegradation at contaminated sites. One direct avenue to assess the feasibility or effectiveness of bioremediation is to quantify microorganisms specifically responsible for biodegradation of the contaminants of concern (COCs). Nucleic acid (DNA) based technologies such as quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) or CENSUS are not dependent on culturing (growing) the microorganisms thus eliminating the biases associated with traditional plate counts and MPNs. CENSUS provides accurate quantification of microorganisms specifically responsible for biodegradation of COCs at costs comparable to traditional approaches.

The Webinar will include:

• A brief introduction to qPCR
• Available CENSUS assays for quantification of:
• Dehalococcoides spp.to assess PCE/TCE-impacted sites;
• TCE and vinyl chloride reductase genes;
• Aerobic BTEX degrading bacteria;
• Anaerobic BTEX degrading bacteria; and
• Aerobic MTBE degrading bacteria.
• Examples showing how CENSUS results can be used to direct site management decisions at sites where EOS® Products have been implemented.

Click to download a copy of this webinar