Superfund Research Program

• 360 - Combining Plants and Sunlight to Break Down Hazardous Compounds -- Dai
  Release Date: 12/04/2024

  Researchers funded by the NIEHS Superfund Research Program designed a new material that effectively degrades harmful compounds, like PFAS, and bacteria. By combining the power of sunlight and a component of plants, called lignin, this approach harnesses sustainable and renewable resources to reduce exposures and protect health.

• 353 - Engineering Hydrogel Beads to Enhance Bioremediation of Groundwater Contaminant -- Rochefort, Semprini, Fogg, Hyman
  Release Date: 05/01/2024

  Oregon State University scientists and engineers developed an approach to cleaning polluted groundwater that uses tiny beads containing chemical-eating bacteria. In this study, funded by the NIEHS Superfund Research Program (SRP), the team identified a formula to maximize bead durability and bioremediation, or the removal of contaminants using bacteria.

• 349 - Mapping Microbe Interactions That Support PCB-Degrading Bacteria -- Mattes
  Release Date: 01/10/2024

  Researchers partially funded by the NIEHS Superfund Research Program (SRP) mapped interactions between microbes that may support the growth of certain bacteria that degrade polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), a harmful contaminant. By harnessing those microbial relationships, researchers could improve the bioremediation, or bacterial breakdown, of PCBs from the environment, according to a team led by Timothy Mattes, Ph.D., University of Iowa SRP Center.

• 345 - Modified Iron Particles Could Improve Bioremediation of PFAS -- Jaffe
  Release Date: 09/06/2023

  Iron particles coated in a nontoxic material may enhance PFAS degradation by a certain bacterium, according to researchers funded by the NIEHS Superfund Research Program. The study could inform bioremediation efforts that harness the microbe, known as Acidimicrobium Strain A6, for cleaning up contaminated soil, sediments, and aquifers.

• 332 - Improving How Microbes Break Down PFAS -- Men
  Release Date: 08/03/2022

  NIEHS Superfund Research Program (SRP) grantees demonstrated a method to break down per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) into smaller, non-toxic molecules. Led by Yujie Men, Ph.D., of the University of California, Riverside, the team also showed that some types of PFAS can be more easily degraded than others.

• 308 - Using Fungi to Clean up Contaminated Soil -- Gunsch
  Release Date: 08/05/2020

  Native fungal communities point to a new way of cleaning up contaminated soil. After conducting a study to characterize fungi found in soil contaminated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), researchers at the NIEHS-funded Superfund Research Program at Duke University discovered a group of fungi that may be promising for remediation.

• 305 - Arsenic Complicates Groundwater Bioremediation -- Alvarez-Cohen
  Release Date: 05/06/2020

  A common groundwater contaminant, trichloroethene (TCE), can be reduced by certain bacteria, a process known as bioremediation. But, according to a new NIEHS Superfund Research Program (SRP) study, this process may stall when arsenic is present. TCE, a widely used industrial solvent, pollutes groundwater from improper handling practices.