AMICO: Adaptation of microbial communities to organic contaminants in oligotrophic aquifers

• Research unit: EU RFP
• Project number: 99.0821

Key words (English)

BTEX; bioremediation; oligotrophic groundwater aquifer; microbial community analysis; metabolic potential;
Biotechnology; Environmental Protection; Innovation; Technology Transfer; Life Sciences; Medicine; Health; Waste Management

Alternative project number (English)

EU project number: QLK3-2000-00731

Research programs (English)

EU-programme: 5. Frame Research Programme - 1.1.3 The 'cell factory'

Short description (English)

See abstract

Partners and International Organizations (English)

Coordinator: University of Groningen, Haren (NL)

Abstract (English)

To explore the diversity, degradation capacity and resilience of the poorly known microbial communities in pristine and polluted subsurface aquifers, a comparison will be made between a set of oligotrophic communities before and after exposure to a plume of pollutants. A combination of culture-dependent and -independent methods will reveal the functional and genetic characteristics of the communities involved in degradation of a selected range of contaminants (BTEX components) of the chosen aquifer. A detailed study of the genetic and physiological diversity, metabolic potential and adaptability in laboratory-scale model systems will demonstrate how the potential and performance of such communities may be optimised. This will eventually allow experimental manipulation of in-situ enhancement of bioremediation processes by making a rational use of the microbial diversity.

References in databases (English)

Swiss Database: Euro-DB of the
State Secretariat for Education and Research
Hallwylstrasse 4
CH-3003 Berne, Switzerland
Tel. [phone]
Swiss Project-Number: 99.0821