NEWS

Oregon Company and Army Corps of Engineers Team Up for Bioremediation Research
Monitoring field persistence of introduced microorganisms and evaluating their relationships with contaminants in soil is the focus of a research agreement between Enzyme Technologies, Inc. (ETEC) of Portland, OR and the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center-Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL) in Hanover, NH. The agreement-facilitated by the MSU TechLink Center in Bozeman, MT and the CRREL Office of Research and Technology Applications-will enable ETEC and CRREL to evaluate emerging techniques for monitoring changes in the community structure of soil microorganisms following the application of bioremediation products. "Our new generation of in situ technology is becoming the technology of choice for soil and/or groundwater contaminated sites," said William Weinstein, ETEC vice president. "Our mission is to develop natural, scientifically advanced biological products and practical, effective application systems. Teaming our trademark BioBox with the brainpower of CRREL should accelerate our ability to effectively clean up contamination." The BioBox is a specially designed oxygenation unit capable of boosting dissolved oxygen levels in groundwater by four times that of standard air injection methods. When used in conjunction with ETEC's proprietary biological products, the BioBox performs rapid subsurface bioremediation. For the research project with CRREL, ETEC will apply one or more of its new bioremediation products to the contaminated site. CRREL will monitor the process using techniques that allows scientists to observe and record detailed information about changes in the ecology of microorganisms in the soil and groundwater. The results are expected to lead to a better understanding of how bioremediation products work and how they might be improved or made more efficient.
For more info: Dr. Will Swearingen, 406-994-7704, wds@montana.edu; William Weinstein, 503-254-4331 x15, williamw@ensymetech.com