Evaluation of PCB-Binding Energy in Soils and Sediments

Principal Investigators
D. Raghavan
Howard University

This project focuses on PCB bioremediation and investigates desorption energy of contaminant flow from will-characterized contaminant-deposited samples and provides a method to quantify the strength of interaction (desorption energy) between soil and contaminant. The technique is based on raising the temperature of the soil-contaminant system and measuring the amount of contaminant recovered. By determining the degree of interaction betweeen contaminant and soil (desorption energy), it should be possible to shoose appropriate surfactants for educing desorption energy (binding energy). Cost to clean up PCB-contaminated sites by bioremediation is approximately three times less expensive than incineration.