Title: A Guide for Assessing Biodegradation and Source Identification of Organic Groundwater Contaminants Using Compound Specific Isotope Analysis (CSIA) 
Resource Type: document --> technical publication --> report 
Country: USA 
Year: 2009 
Availability: EPA 600-R-08-148 
Author 1/Producer: US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) 
Author / Producer Type: Agency, regulator or other governmental or inter-governmental body 
Report / download web link (=direct link): http://www.epa.gov/ada/pubs/reports/600r08148/600r08148.pdf  
Format (e.g. PDF): PDF 
Size: (e.g. 20mb) 3.6 
EUGRIS Keyword(s): Contaminated land-->Remediation options-->MNA
Contaminated land-->Soil and groundwater processes-->Geochemistry
Contaminated land-->Soil and groundwater processes-->Microbiology
Groundwater protection-->Groundwater processes-->Geochemistry
Groundwater protection-->Groundwater processes-->Groundwater processes overview
Groundwater protection-->Groundwater processes-->Microbiology
 
Short description: When organic contaminants are degraded in the environment, the ratio of stable isotopes will often change, and the extent of degradation can be recognized and predicted from the change in the ratio of stable isotopes. Recent advances in analytical chemistry make it possible to perform Compound Specific Isotope Analysis (CSIA) on dissolved organic contaminants such as chlorinated solvents, aromatic petroleum hydrocarbons, and fuel oxygenates, at concentrations in water that are near their regulatory standards. The traditional approach for monitoring of concentrations of contaminants at sites often does not offer adequate information about the processes that are responsible for removal of the contaminants. Stable isotope analyses can provide an in-depth understanding of biodegradation or abiotic transformation processes in contaminated aquifers. Because CSIA is a new approach, there are no widely accepted standards for accuracy, precision and sensitivity, and no established approaches to document accuracy, precision, sensitivity and representativeness. This Guide provides general recommendations on good practice for sampling, for measurement, for data evaluation and for interpretation in CSIA 
Link to Organisation(s): EPA Environmental Protection Agency
 
Submitted By: Professor Paul Bardos WhoDoesWhat?      Last update: 01/03/2009

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