# Identification of Remediation Technologies and Conditions that Minimize Formation of Hazardous PAH Breakdown Products at Superfund Sites

> **NIH NIH P42** · OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $303,956

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY – SIMONICH/SEMPRINI PROJECT
Although remediation and detection research projects funded by the NIEHS Superfund Research Program
have saved >$100 million, recent studies by our laboratory and others have shown that the toxicity of PAH-
contaminated soils and sediments increases after biotic and abiotic remediation and that PAH primary
transformation products can account for only 23-28% of the increased toxicity. Polar secondary PAH
transformation products (e.g., epoxides, carbonyls, and ring-cleavage products) likely account for the majority
of toxicity increase after remediation. The overarching goal of this project is to learn to identify remediation
technologies that minimize formation of hazardous PAH breakdown products. Our first specific aim is to
predict, via computational modeling, the secondary transformation products of PAHs that will form during
biotic (microbial) and abiotic (with heat or in situ chemical oxidation) remediation. Our second specific aim is
to measure the secondary PAH transformation products that form during laboratory-scale biotic and abiotic
remediation experiments. We will feed back our data into Aim 1 to refine our computational model. Our third
specific aim is to measure the secondary transformation products of PAHs in real-world Superfund soils and
sediments before and after remediation, as well as after natural attenuation. Our fourth specific aim is a) to
identify remediation technologies, or combinations of remediation technologies, that minimize the formation
of toxic primary and secondary transformation products of PAHs and b) to understand how the optimal
remediation strategy depends on the remediation conditions and on the properties of the soils and sediments.
We also plan to test any new remediation technologies our stakeholders, or other SRP Centers, wish to
evaluate. We will apply passive sampling devices to assess the bioavailability of PAHs and their transformation
products. We also apply soil column leaching techniques to assess their tendency to leach from to soil to
groundwater. These four Specific Aims, taken together, will help us answer our stakeholders' questions
regarding which PAH-transformation products at Superfund sites are hazardous, which transformation
products have the potential to result in human exposure, and which exposures have the potential to
compromise human health. Based on our findings, we will advise the managers of specific Superfund sites
regarding which remediation strategies (or combinations of strategies) minimize the threat to society.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9841204
- **Project number:** 2P42ES016465-11
- **Recipient organization:** OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Staci L Simonich
- **Activity code:** P42 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $303,956
- **Award type:** 2
- **Project period:** — → 2025-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9841204

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9841204, Identification of Remediation Technologies and Conditions that Minimize Formation of Hazardous PAH Breakdown Products at Superfund Sites (2P42ES016465-11). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-21 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9841204. Licensed CC0.

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