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Open-File Report 2010–1291

Prepared in Cooperation with the College of Engineering, Technology, and Computer Science, Tennessee State University

Partnership of Environmental Education and Research: A Compilation of Student Research, 1999–2008

Edited by Michael W. Bradley, Patrice Armstrong, and Thomas D. Byl

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Abstract

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Tennessee Water Science Center and the College of Engineering and Technology at Tennessee State University developed a Partnership in Environmental Education and Research (PEER) to support environmental research at TSU and to expand the environmental research capabilities of the USGS in Tennessee. The PEER program is driven by the research needs to better define the occurrence, fate, and transport of contaminants in groundwater and surface water. Research in the PEER program has primarily focused on the transport and remediation of organic contamination in karst settings. Research conducted through the program has also expanded to a variety of media and settings. Research areas include contaminant occurrence and transport, natural and enhanced bioremediation, geochemical conditions in karst aquifers, mathematical modeling for contaminant transport and degradation, new methods to evaluate groundwater contamination, the resuspension of bacteria from sediment in streams, the use of bioluminescence and chemiluminescence to identify the presence of contaminants, and contaminant remediation in wetlands.

The PEER program has increased research and education opportunities for students in the College of Engineering, Technology, and Computer Science and has provided students with experience in presenting the results of their research. Students in the program have participated in state, regional, national and international conferences with more than 140 presentations since 1998 and more than 40 student awards. The PEER program also supports TSU outreach activities and efforts to increase minority participation in environmental and earth science programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels. TSU students and USGS staff participate in the TSU summer programs for elementary and high school students to promote earth sciences. The 2007 summer camps included more than 130 students from 20 different States and Washington DC.

First posted February 16, 2011

For additional information contact:
Director, Tennessee Water Science Center
U.S. Geological Survey
640 Grassmere Park, Suite 100
Nashville, TN 37211
(615) 837-4700

http://tn.water.usgs.gov/

Part or all of this report is presented in Portable Document Format (PDF); the latest version of Adobe Reader or similar software is required to view it. Download the latest version of Adobe Reader, free of charge.


Suggested citation:

Bradley, M.W., Armstrong, Patrice, and Byl, T.D., eds., 2011, Partnership of Environmental Education and Research—A compilation of student research, 1999–2008: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2010–1291, 67 p.



Contents

Foreword

Abstract

Introduction

PEER Research Areas

Karst—Bioremediation

Microcosm Study to Assess the Potential for Intrinsic Bioremediation at a Karst Site

Biodegradation of Fuel in a Karst Aquifer

Comparison of Different Lactic Acid Formulations Used to Enhance Biodegradation of Perchloroethylene

Microbial Strategies for Degradation of Organic Contaminants in Karst

Optimum pH for Biodegradation of Benzene and Toluene in a Karst Aquifer

Enhanced Biodegradation of TCE in a Karst Aquifer Using Lactic Acid, Molasses, and Soy Milk

Evaluating Oxygen-Releasing Compounds to Enhance Fuel Biodegradation by Free-Living Bacteria

Biorestoration of a TCE-Contaminated Karst Aquifer by Stimulating Sulfate-Reducing Bacteria

Supplements to Enhance Groundwater-Microbial Growth and Biodegradation Processes

The Role of Free-Living and Attached Bacteria in Processing Contamination in Karst Aquifers

Comparison of Redox Measurements and Geochemical Conditions in a Contaminated Karst Aquifer and Their Influence on Biodegradation

Comparison of Water Geochemistry and Redox Electrodes to Identify Terminal Electron Acceptor Processes in an Aquifer

Free-Living Bacteria Versus Attached Bacteria: Which Contributes More to Bioremediation?

Quantifying Peroxide-Enhanced Toluene Biodegradation in a Single-Well Injection

Evaluating Oxygen-Releasing Compounds to Enhance Toluene Biodegradation by Free-Living Bacteria

Lactate Induction of the Ammonia Mono-Oxygenase Enzyme and PCE Cometabolism

Biodegradation of Toluene as it Continuously Enters a 5-Liter Karst System

Ammonia Oxidation by Bacteria Collected from a Karst-Bedrock Well (a)

Ammonia Oxidation by Bacteria Collected from a Karst-Bedrock Well (b)

Free-Living Bacteria or Attached Bacteria: Which Contributes More to Bioremediation?

Bacteria Induced Dissolution of Limestone in Fuel-Contaminated Karst Wells

Geochemical and Microbial Evidence of Fuel Biodegradation in a Contaminated Karst Aquifer in Southern Kentucky, June 1999

Karst—Contaminant Degradation Models

Numerical Modeling of Flow Simulations and Rate of Biodegradation in a Karst Microcosm

Numerical Simulation of Flow and Contaminant Transport in a Karst Aquifer Conduit

Use of Residence-Time Distribution Coupled with a Biodegradation Rate to Predict Toluene Removal in an Artificial Karst System

Development of a Computer Program that Uses Residence-Time Distribution and First-Order Biodegradation to Predict BTEX Removal in Karst Aquifers

Development of a Protocol for Enhanced Bioremediation in Karst Using a Single Injection Well

Evaluating Peclet Values and the Role of Advection, Dispersion and Diffusion in Tracer Studies

Application of the RTD Model to Analyze the Fate and Transport of Ammonia in Laboratory Karst System

Development and Verification of a Computer Program That Predicts Fuel Biodegradation in Karst Aquifers

Residence Time Distribution Derived from Independent Gamma Distributions of Tracer Travel Distance and Linear Velocity

Adaptation of the Residence Time Distribution (RTD)-Biodegradation Model to Quantify Peroxide-Enhanced Fuel Biodegradation in a Single Karst Well

Karst—Hydrology

Advection Versus Dispersion as Determined by Single-Well Tracer Studies

Enhanced Groundwater Recharge Can Alleviate Storm-Water Flow and Dilute Groundwater Pollution in Karst Terrane

Characterization of Bacteria and Geochemistry of Springs in Nashville, Tennessee

Land-Use Effects on Bacteria Loads and Water Quality in Small Karst Catchments of the Upper Duck River Watershed

Methods in Contaminant Evaluation

Use of Polymerase Chain Reaction and Oligonucleotide Hybridization Probes to Determine the Source of Fecal Contamination in Karst Terranes

Effectiveness of m-TEC Agar for Quantifying Escherichia coli in the Duck River near Shelbyville, Tennessee

Evaluation of Passive-Diffusion Samplers to Measure Dissolved Oxygen, Geochemistry, and Volatile Organic Compounds in Groundwater

The Value of Single-Well Tracer Studies for Characterizing Karst Sites

Contaminant Transport and Remediation in Wetlands and Streams

Survival of Fecal Bacteria in Sediments and Development of a Numerical Model to Predict Storage and Transport in a River

Modification of a Numerical Model to Predict Transport and Flux of Fecal Bacteria in a River

A Flux Term to Describe the Movement of Fecal Bacteria between the Sediment and Water Column in a Riverine System

Effect of a Riverine Wetland on Parking Lot Runoff at Tennessee State University

Use of Tanks-in-Series Method to Predict Nitrate Removal in Wetlands

Wetland Removal of Nutrients and Pollution from a Mixed Sewer and Karst Spring System in Nashville, Tennessee

Water-Quality Monitoring—Luminescence

Evaluating a Bioluminescent Bacteria for Measuring Toxicity of Industrial Wastewaters

Evaluation of Bioluminescent Bacteria as Indicators of Water Quality in Wastewater Treatment Plants

Comparison of Bioluminescent Bacteria and Oxygen Consumption as Indicators of Water Quality

Bioluminescent Bacteria as Indicators of Water Quality in a Wastewater-Treatment Plant

Sensitivity of the Oxydase-Enzyme Induced Chemiluminescent to Water Quality Parameters

Development of an Aquatic Plant Chemiluminescent Bioassay to Assess Water Quality

Other Research—Degradation and Transport

Desorption Isotherms For Toluene And Karstic Materials And Implications For Transport in Karst Aquifers

Reductive Dechlorination of Tetrachloroethylene by Vitamin B12 and Electrokinesis

Are Aquifers at Greater Risk from Alternative Alcohol-Fuel Mixes Compared to Regular Gasoline?

The Interaction between Calcite Precipitation and Dissolution, Carbon Dioxide, and Perchloroethylene Sorption

Reductive Dechlorination of Perchloroethylene with a Direct Current, Different Salts, and Vitamin B12

Student Awards

Outreach

Summary

References


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