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Lindane Research Project
Michelle Chartrand
PhD Student
416- 978-0825
chartrand@geology.utoronto.ca
Chlorinated solvents are
common ground water contaminants that can be degraded under
both aerobic and anaerobic conditions. Compound specific
isotope analysis (CSIA) has been used as a tool to identify
biodegradation of chlorinated compounds and has the potential
to be used to distinguish between different microbial
degradation pathways. To date, my research has focused on
stable carbon isotope analysis in two areas: verification of
biodegradation at an anaerobic trichloroethene-contaminated
fractured bedrock field site and the measurement of carbon
fractionation factors during aerobic vinyl chloride
degradation.
While stable carbon isotope
measurements of chlorinated compounds can provide valuable
information, stable hydrogen isotope measurements can offer an
additional line of evidence to verify biodegradation and to
distinguish between different degradation pathways in the
field. The method for stable hydrogen isotope measurements of
chlorinated compounds is tedious and time consuming: the
individual chlorinated compound in a sample must be first
separated, the fractions collected, and quantitatively reduced
to H 2 gas using off-line techniques. Currently, no on-line
system exists for the measurement of hydrogen isotopes for
chlorinated compounds.
Current (and near future)
Research Projects:
- Stable carbon isotope
measurements of hexachlorocyclohexane isomers (from the
pesticide Lindane)
- Development of a system
for on-line hydrogen isotope measurements of chlorinated
compounds
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