Messenger - Vol. 3, No. 3, Page 8 Spring 1994 On Research Harnessing microbes for decontamination Many researchers conduct their studies in sterile, climate- controlled laboratories. For civil engineering Prof. Judith Carberry, toxic landfills, municipal treatment plants and contaminated worksites are her laboratory. All types of land-whether a factory site, open farmland, highway median strips or landfills-have the potential to be contaminated. Cleaning up the surface and sub-surface soils of known contaminated areas has become a national priority. Basically, there are only two generally accepted solutions-removal and transferral of the infected soil to a secure landfill or on-site treatment. Carberry has been involved in research and application of on-site treatment methods through bioremediation for nearly 10 years. Bioremediation refers to the process where microbes-unicellular living organisms, often referred to as bacteria, fungi or algae, still present in the contaminated site-are able to degrade waste material. Carberry's work primarily focuses on two areas: * Optimizing engineered waste-water processing to remove as many pollutants as possible to improve water quality and reduce the amount of sludge that remains; and * Designing and implementing on-site treatment of contaminated natural sites to avoid costly transport and controlled storage of toxic materials. The toxic waste research process begins when Carberry and several graduate students secure soil samples from the investigation site. Then, in her DuPont Hall laboratory on the Newark campus, the samples are examined to determine the nature of the toxins present and what other substances-such as nitrogen, phosphates, oxygen and water-should be added to optimize the healthy enzymes at the site. Carberry says her laboratory work has been successfully applied to a number of contaminated areas, including landfills, gas stations, industrial complexes and highway chemical spills. "When I started doing this research," she recalls, "people were saying, 'You can't do that.' Now, they're beating down the door." Carberry has lectured and consulted on her work in bioremediation throughout the United States and abroad, and has served as a visiting professor at the Israeli Institute of Technology and at the Hazardous Substance Research Center of Howard University. She received the Harrison Prescott Eddy Award from the Chesapeake Water Environment Association in 1993. Identifying the problems and discovering the solutions associated with contaminated soils and the disposal of municipal waste demands an interdisciplinary approach, so Carberry collaborates on several efforts with colleagues in microbiology and agricultural engineering. Carberry says she and fellow researchers are involved in developing new laboratory protocols. These are step-by-step procedures that will enable researchers to secure field samples properly and apply proven laboratory techniques and procedures to discover solutions. Carberry says her work has achieved a nearly 100 percent practical application success rate. "I'm certainly amazed by the scope of research," she says. "When you do research, the answer to one question should raise other questions. So, research keeps building and building." -Ed Okonowicz, Delaware '69, '84M