Graduation date: 1998

In situ bioremediation of pentachlorophenol-contaminated ground water in a sequential anaerobic-aerobic down borehole permeable barrier reactor requires a non-toxic primary substrate for dichlorophenol cometabolism. Serum bottle tests comparing the effectiveness of eight primary substrates for aerobic dichlorophenol degradation showed phenol to be the most effective followed by imitation vanilla flavoring, guaiacol, sodium benzoate, molasses, acetic acid, propylene glycol and ethyl vanillin in propylene glycol. As phenol is a pollutant, imitation vanilla flavoring is the recommended primary substrate for field use. In a second bottle test, 3,4,5-trichlorophenol was not sufficiently biotransformed, emphasizing the need for biotransformation to occur in the anaerobic zone of the reactor. / Graduation date: 1996