Monitoring of Ammonia Contamination in Shallow Underground Water

Bioremediation was attempted on ammonia-contaminated groundwater by setting up two permeable reactive barriers (PRBs) on-site, with one designed to encourage nitrification, and the other, denitrification. Ammonia concentrations and other parameters, including microbial community structure, were measured over 2 years.

Ammonia contamination of groundwater is a common problem under old, unlined landfill sites, and can be highly toxic to aquatic life. This project attempted to bioremediate ammonia contamination by setting up trenches at the site and using microbial nitrogen-cycling to remove the ammonia.

The PRBs significantly reduced the ammonia contamination and associated by-products. Nitrogen-cycling microbes were found to be present in the PRBs, suggesting that the process was working as planned.