In situ bioremediation holds great promise as a safe and cost-effective strategy for cleanup of contaminated sediments and groundwater. The design of bioremediation systems requires site-specific characterization of the types of microorganisms present, what their potential metabolic capabilities are, and to what extent these degradative functions are...

Many sites with ground and/or surface water pollution have been identified across the United States. For site characterization, exposure and risk assessment as well as remediation monitoring, it is important to analyze the environment for toxic contaminants at trace levels. However, this sensing is often expensive, especially when attempting...

Wastewater and sewage sludge from wastewater treatment plants represent an underutilized diagnostic matrix indicative of many population-wide conditions (e.g., exposure to hazardous substances/pollutants, disease prevalence, health and prosperity, and more). While there have been many genome-wide and epigenome-wide association studies that show the...

Persistent contaminants may be present in very low concentrations in the environment and yet exert considerable effects on living organisms via bioaccumulation. Current environmental engineering sample collection, preparation, and analysis practices may under- or overestimate the actual concentrations to which aquatic or sedimentary biota are exposed....

Soil contamination is a worldwide problem, whether it is from heavy hydrocarbon spills, industrial activity or agricultural chemicals, and there are many different strategies for treatment. One thing of utmost importance, no matter what treatment strategy is utilized, is the prevention of downward and outward migration of pollutants at treatment sites....

Industrial sludges, such as municipal sewage sludges (MSS), are an abundant by-product of process flow and wastewater treatment. Of the 6.5 million metric tonnes of MSS produced annually in the U.S., >50% are applied on land as a soil amendment. This practice poses potential environmental and human health concerns. Screening of nationally representative...