# Leveraging the chemo-physical interaction of halorespiring bacteria with solid surfaces to enhance halogenated organic compounds bioremediation

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND BALTIMORE COUNTY · 2022 · $150,000

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
There is a lack of fundamental understanding on how microbial breakdown of chlorinated
organic compounds is influenced by the presence of sorptive surfaces. Several laboratory and
field studies have demonstrated a synergy between sorptive materials and microorganisms
leading to the development of material aided delivery of bioamendments in both groundwater
and sediment applications. However, a mechanistic understanding of the relationship between
sorptive surfaces and microbial dechlorination is lacking. To fill this critical knowledge gap, this
research team of chemical/environmental engineers and microbiologists will investigate the
fundamental mechanism of microbial dechlorination of chlorinated organics on sorptive surfaces
and develop quantitative models that allow optimization and engineering scaleup of enhanced
bioremediation aided by materials engineering. Improved understanding will allow better
prediction of the degradation of sorbed chemicals in the environment and enable optimization of
material science aided technologies for the delivery of biodegradation technologies.
The project will target chlorinated organics ranging from less hydrophobic compounds like
chloroethenes typically associated with groundwater and strongly hydrophobic compounds such
as PCBs typically associated with sediments. These pollutants will be investigated individually
as well as in mixtures that are commonly encountered at Superfund sites. A set of carbon-based
sorbent materials will be produced in the laboratory to provide a range of physical and chemical
properties. In addition to the lab synthesized materials, two most commonly used activated
carbons (bituminous coal based, and coconut shell based) and graphite will be tested in parallel
for comparison. Through systematic laboratory experiments, the physical and chemical
properties (such as specific surface area, pore size distribution, electron accepting capacity, and
carbon content) will be evaluated for influence on the sorption characteristics and synergy with
biodegradation of chloroethenes and PCBs. Final material selection will also be guided by
environmental sustainability considerations. Sorption and biokinetics data from the experimental
studies with optimized materials will be synthesized into advanced site models to predict
material behavior for field-scale remedial applications. Results from the modeling simulations
will allow for optimization of the engineering design for pilot and full-scale applications at
contaminated groundwater and sediment Superfund sites. This platform of combining tailored
materials with biodegradation will be adaptable for targeting other pollutant mixtures.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10369017
- **Project number:** 5R01ES032719-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND BALTIMORE COUNTY
- **Principal Investigator:** Upal Ghosh
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $150,000
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2021-03-10 → 2025-12-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10369017

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10369017, Leveraging the chemo-physical interaction of halorespiring bacteria with solid surfaces to enhance halogenated organic compounds bioremediation (5R01ES032719-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10369017. Licensed CC0.

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