# Project 6: Microbial Communities that Bioremediate Chemical Mixtures

> **NIH NIH P42** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA BERKELEY · 2021 · $247,074

## Abstract

PROJECT 6: SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
The inorganic metalloid arsenic, organic chlorinated solvents (e. g. trichloroethene (TCE)) and aromatic
hydrocarbons (e. g. benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylenes (BTEX)) are frequently detected as a mixture
of contaminants in groundwater aquifers. Their presence in drinking water supplies represents a hazard to
public health and the environment. Currently, arsenic ranks No.1 on the ATSDR Priority List of Hazardous
Substances and has been reported as a problem at 917 Superfund National Priorities List sites. Due to its
common co-occurrence with TCE and BTEX at these sites, it is important to understand the effects of potential
remediation strategies that target only one contaminant class on the fate and transport of the other
contaminants. The objective of this project is to apply systems biology approaches to study interactions within
microbial communities involved in the bioremediation of groundwater mixtures containing arsenic species in
combination with TCE and BTEX. We aim to enrich and study microbial communities that can concurrently
reduce the bioavailability of arsenic and degrade the co-contaminants and specifically address complex
problems arising from the presence of chemical mixtures at hazardous waste sites. Bioremediation processes
that biostimulate fermenting microorganisms by injection of organics into groundwater aquifers to promote the
dechlorination of TCE are likely to generate soluble arsenic species, leading to the production of new and more
significant groundwater (GW) contaminants. Similarly, BTEX releases into aquifers result in the rapid depletion
of oxygen and other electron acceptors, leading to arsenic mobilization. A key challenge in achieving effective
bioremediation without mobilizing arsenic is understanding the multi-scale complexity of subsurface microbial
communities that could facilitate useful transformations of arsenic, while also targeting the degradation of
organic co-contaminants. We hypothesize that understanding the structure, function and syntrophic
interactions of microbial communities involved in arsenic transformations can lead to optimized simultaneous
bioremediation of the metalloid arsenic as well as chlorinated solvents and aromatic hydrocarbons. To test this
hypothesis, we will enrich and construct cultures
as well as co-contaminant transformations and apply meta-omics based approaches to
characterize interactions within these communities. We will then evaluate the responses of these enrichments
and consortia to perturbations and various co-contaminant exposures (aims 1-3). We will subsequently
develop models to provide predictive input to new designs for effective bioremediation of these mixtures (aim
4).
from contaminated GW and sediments that are capable of
arsenic cycling
The knowledge and models developed from this research will be valuable to provide guidance to
practitioners of bioremediation to improve operation and practice in the common occurrence of ...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10136022
- **Project number:** 5P42ES004705-33
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA BERKELEY
- **Principal Investigator:** Lisa Alvarez-Cohen
- **Activity code:** P42 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $247,074
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 1997-04-01 → 2022-08-24

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10136022

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10136022, Project 6: Microbial Communities that Bioremediate Chemical Mixtures (5P42ES004705-33). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10136022. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*