 Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons |
These days the sweet smell of gingersnaps might be wafting from contaminated sites rather than grandmothers’ kitchens. Remediation companies are pumping food-grade molasses into polluted soils in order to feed microbes.
The little organisms multiply and, in addition to eating the sugar, gorge on chemical contaminants and neutralize toxic cadmium, mercury, and chromium that have leached from industrial sites into the ground. Professionals are increasingly finding the approach more appetizing than using harsh chemicals for cleanups.
“We’re trying to take advantage of natural systems,” says Frank Lenzo, director of engineered treatment systems for Arcadis, a contractor removing contaminants at a former electromechanical products plant in New Jersey. After they chow down, the harmless bacteria and carbon dioxide remain. And molasses isn’t the only food product mopping up messes. Companies have also employed cheese whey, corn syrup, vegetable oil, and beer.
This story originally ran as "Stick to It" in the March-April issue.