This Small Business Innovation Research( SBIR) Phase 1 project addresses the development of a bacterial culture to degrade PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) in contaminated soils and sediments. PCBs are persistent, toxic contaminants which accumulate in the fatty tissues of animals,contaminating fish and humans. PCB-degrading bacteria have been difficult to produce. In 2009, a readily-grown bacterial species was shown by Bioremediation Consulting Inc (BCI) to degrade the most harmful and carcinogenic type of PCBs. This finding allows the development of an anaerobic PCB-degrading culture for cost-etfective inoculation into PCB-contaminated sediments. The proposed research will document the ability of BCI's culture to extensively dechlorinate three types of commercial PCB mixtures, and will develop methods of rapid culturing. The broader/commercial impact of this research are the development of a bacteria inoculant that will degrade PCBs in soil and sediment. PCBs are toxic chemicals used historically as heat resistant fluids in many industrial applications, including transformers in the electric utility industry. Several hundred million pounds were manufactured and disposed, resulting in contamination of soils and river sediments. The recent finding at BCI, that a strain of dechlorinating bacteria is capable of dechlorinating PCBs. provides an opportunity for BCI to develop a commercial culture for inoculating contaminated sites with PCB-degrading bacteria. The marketing of this product will be complemented by our already-successful also other dechlorinating cultures used in treatment of contamination by diverse chlorinated compounds. Major stakeholders in the utility industries, and remediation contractors, have expressed interest in partnering with BCI and/or obtaining culture.
