Why Bioremediation?
Bioremediation has the advantage of using natural processes to clean up sites. Because it may not require as much equipment, labour, or energy as some cleanup methods, it can be cheaper
The overall cost of bioremediation is generally significantly lower than other types of remedial approaches. The classic excavation, removal, and backfill option can easily cost over $50 per cubic yard, not including disposal tipping fees.
Remedial technologies can be divided into two basic categories, contaminant removal or contaminant destruction. To meet Complete removal or destruction, both approaches require the practitioner to continue remediation until all of the contamination has been addressed.
Bioremediation can be very effective as a stand-alone strategy but when the goals of a project require remedial time frames that cannot readily be met with bioremediation or in cases where other strategies are more cost-effective, bioremediation can be used in conjunction with other technologies.
Our Products
Wilclear Plus®
Fast • Effective • Economical. Say goodbye to your chlorinated contaminants.
LactOil®
Longevity • Easy handling • Great distribution not just another emulsified vegetable oil
Accelerite®
Effective Economical Increase your donor efficiency and kinetics
Chitorem®
Long-lasting • Inherent buffering agent perfect for excavation and acid mine drainage
SoluLac™
High Fermentable Fraction • High Solubility. No sodium or potassium
Wilclear®
Proven • Fast • Effective Rapidly Establish reducing conditions
WilkeyWhey™
Dry solid substrate • High fermentable fraction variety of organics
JRW Bioremediation, LLC and COVID-19
JRW is committed to the health and safety of our employees and our clients during the COVID-19 health crisis. Although our core business is considered essential, JRW has taken the step of encouraging all non-essential personnel to work remotely whenever possible. Our communications program seamlessly integrates telephone and web contact with each individual within the organization as well as our clients allowing staff to limit personal face to face contact while maintaining a high degree of personal attention. Each staff member has real-time access to project files and order databases allowing us to work remotely to maintain up to date information about your project and the status of your order. Our technical, logistics and administrative professionals also remain available to assist in your project planning and execution.
We will continue to work to maintain a commitment to superior service throughout the current health situation and hope that you, your staff, and their families remain healthy.
Substrate Distribution and Performance
Although this is a basic concept of enhancing bioremediation, it is still not widely ingrained in the consulting industry. A great example is the evolution of the concept of the use of emulsified vegetable oil (EVO). Early work concentrated on the slow dissolution properties of vegetable oil in order to provide a long lasting substrate. It was quickly recognized that neat vegetable oil dissolves slowly but it also has properties that can limit its distribution in the subsurface. The perceived solution was to emulsify neat oil to overcome some of those distribution issues. Initially field emulsions were used and then per-emulsified products were introduced to improve product quality.
Application Corner
Our approach to substrate dosing is based on site conditions. We provide substrates and nutrients for anaerobic bioremediation. The substrates provided include highly soluble materials such as WILCLEAR® sodium and potassium lactate, SoluLac™ ethyl lactate, and Wilke Whey™ whey powder and slowly soluble substrates including LactOil® soy microemulsion, and ChitoRem® chitin complex.
Electron Donors
About Electron donors.
Carbon substrates for enhanced reductive dechlorination can be divided into two main categories related to their longevity in the subsurface: slowly soluble and readily soluble substrates. In reality these categories can be better defined by the dissolution rate of the substrate with readily soluble substrates being materials that are miscible or semi-miscible in groundwater and slowly soluble substrates being generally recognized as dissolving over a period of multiple months. The dissolution rate is an important characteristic as it gives a clue to how much substrate is required per period of time.
Highly Soluble Substrates
The physical properties of a substrate will also impact subsurface distribution. Post-injection distribution is impacted by advective flow and to some extent chemical diffusion. Highly substrates like WILCLEAR®, WILCLEAR Plus®, and SoluLac™ can mimic water in their movement in the subsurface and are ideal for re-circulation systems with limited injection points. They can also quickly diffuse in tight formations or formations with minimal groundwater flow. WILCLEAR® sodium lactate and potassium lactate are both highly soluble substrates. Sodium lactate was one of the first substrates to be used in the field to enhance reductive de-chlorination. Both are easy to use and store and are excellent substrates for re-circulation systems
Slowly Soluble Substrates
Slowly soluble substrates like LactOil® soy microemulsion and ChitoRem® chitin complex can maintain anaerobic conditions in most aquifers for over two years. LactOil® is unique in that the microemulsion allows the diluted material to have physical properties similar to highly soluble substrates while still retaining the slow dissolution properties of a vegetable oil. This combination provides the best characteristics of both highly soluble substrates (superior dispersion characteristics) and vegetable oils (longevity).