| Olin Workshop
on Chemical and Biological Treatment of Hazardous Wastes
Purpose of the Workshop
Soil and water have been severely polluted
by organic compounds during the last century. Some of these compounds,
such as petroleum hydrocarbons, result from natural processes, but
have been transported by man to new environments in ever increasing
volumes. Other compounds are totally man-made. Spills can cause
environmental disaster, and long-term releases of small volumes
can have cumulative effects which are just as bad. Many of the compounds
or their by-products are toxic while others are such good nutrients
that they cause a biological overabundance of one species leading
to oxygen deprivation for all of the others. Removing the contamination
can be done by physical, chemical and biological means. Physical
means of removal (digging it up, transporting it off-site and either
land-filling or burning it) are expensive. Chemical and biological
methods offer good alternatives.
This workshop presented information on the theory and practice of
chemical and biological treatment of hydrocarbon contaminants. The
workshop consisted of a series of talks on the use of molecular
biology in evaluating and developing appropriate microbes, the biochemistry
and toxicology of hazardous compounds and their by-products, chemical
oxidation processes for rapid degradation, and on-site treatment
processes. Political implications of contamination and remediation
processes were also discussed.
Schedule of Events in 2019-2020 MacAlister
Hall, Thursday, October 16, 1997
9:00 a.m. Registration,
9:30 a.m. Welcome by Provost Richard
Astro, Ph.D. and Michael A. Gealt, Ph.D., Director, School of Environmental
Science, Engineering and Policy
9:45 a.m. Dr. Michael Gealt, Director,
School of Environmental Science, Engineering and Policy, ÒHydrocarbon
Contamination: A General SummaryÓ
10:15 a.m. Dr. Gerben Zylstra, Associate
Professor, Center for Agricultural Molecular Biology, Rutgers University,
"Diversity of Genes for Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Degradation"
11:00 a.m. BREAK
11:15 a.m. Dr. Carl Cerniglia, Director,
Division of Microbiology, Food and Drug Administration, "Current
Aspects on the Fungal Degradation of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons"
12:00 p.m. Lunch
1:30 p.m. Dr. Mirat Gurol, Blasker
Professor of Environmental Engineering, Department of Civil and
Environmental Engineering, San Diego State University, "Application
of Oxidation Processes for Treatment of Hazardous Waste"
2:30 p.m. Mr. Dan Erdman, P.E. and
Mr. John Garges, P.G., Conestoga-Rovers & Associates, "Evaluation
of In-Situ Oxidation Processes as an Alternative to Groundwater
Remediation"
3:15 p.m. BREAK
3:30 p.m. Discussion - Training Environmental
Professionals: What is Needed by Industry?
5:00 p.m. Dinner, Faculty Club, MacAlister
Hall, 6th Floor
7:00 p.m. Keynote Presentation: Ronald
Unterman, Ph.D., Vice President, Technology Development, Envirogen,
Inc., "Using Bacteria to Clean Up Toxic Chemicals in Soil, Water
and Air"
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