Output details
14 - Civil and Construction Engineering
University of Sheffield
Dynamic changes in microbial community structure and function in phenol-degrading microcosms inoculated with cells from a contaminated aquifer
A collaboration between scientists and environmental engineers led to the development of a novel lab-based flow-through microcosm methodology to characterise micro-scale controls on the dynamics of microbiological processes in contaminated aquifers. This paper presents this method and its first application, providing the first insight into the spatial succession and interactions between microbial populations that occurs during organic contaminant biodegradation at the critical interface between plumes and groundwater in aquifers. The study formed the basis for a successful FP7 Marie Curie Initial Training Network conceived at and led by Sheffield.