Accelerated bioremediation of trichloroethylene (TCE) within a bedrock aquifer was evaluated at a site in South Carolina. The groundwater had been contaminated with TCE and its daughter products as a result of on-site manufacturing activities. The subsurface consisted of complex saprolite and fractured bedrock layers making technology selection more challenging. In addition, finding a remediation technology that could be effective without disrupting on-going facility operations was paramount. In-situ, enhanced bioremediation using Hydrogen Release Compound (HRC^®), manufactured by Regenesis, San Clemente, CA, was selected as it can be efficiently injected directly into the complex geology without interrupting above-ground operations.

Contaminant concentrations within the contaminated groundwater exceeded regulatory limits. Within both the saprolite and bedrock aquifers, TCE had reached over 15,000 micrograms per liter (µg/L). Daughter products dichloroethylene (DCE) and vinyl chloride (VC) were also present.

HRC was injected into two barrier areas. Two months following the application anaerobic (contaminant degrading) conditions were established. Within 300 days of HRC injection, TCE was reduced by 91% in saprolite and 99% in bedrock. Daughter product DCE formed at concentrations exceeding 30,000 µg/L while VC remained at much lower levels. Recent sampling has shown DCE and VC at levels less than 50 µg/L.

HRC was shown to be an effective treatment for significantly high concentrations of chlorinated compounds within complex bedrock geology.

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