always
last
updated Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Robin Gerlach’s Research
GURT (the Gerlach Ultimate Research Team)
Short
Courses and Invited Lectures
Summary
My research investigates the use of biofilms for beneficial purposes.
A few examples are
· the control and cleanup of contaminated soils and water (bioremediation, biofilm remediation, biofilm barriers)
· sequestration of carbon dioxide (CO2)
· water and wastewater treatment
· the development of bio- and biofilm-based processing technology (biofilm technology) for the production of chemicals, fuels, and biomaterials
More specifically, we have focused our research on the development of Subsurface Biofilm Barriers that can be used to manipulate the hydraulic conductivity (permeability) of soils. Such biofilm barriers enable us to decrease or direct the flow of groundwater (towards a treatment zone for instance). Therefore, we are investigating the hydrodynamics in biofilm affected porous media in the laboratory using different reactors and analytical techniques.
By improving our ability to transport bacteria and nutrients in the subsurface and designing biofilm barriers to be reactive (e.g. contaminant degrading) or non-reactive (exclusively for hydraulic control) we are intending to improve existing subsurface bioremediation technologies.
We are investigating the transformation of nitroaromatics (e.g. the explosive TNT - 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene), chlorinated aliphatic compounds (e.g. trichloroethylene – TCE and carbon tetrachloride – CT), heavy metals (e.g. chromate and dichromate), and radionuclides (e.g. uranium).
The influence of natural organic matter, minerals, and co-contaminants is of specific interest to my research along with the development of strategies to establish biogeochemical conditions (pH, redox potential, oxygen concentration, etc.) ideal for the safe removal of these contaminants from contaminated groundwater or their immobilization in contaminated soils.
More recently we have begun to investigate the possible use of extremophilic microorganisms for improved bioprocessing of lignocellulosic materials.
GURT (the Gerlach Ultimate Research Team)
Present
Erin Field – Ph.D. student (Microbiology)
Fate and Transport of Heavy Metals
and Radionuclides in the Environment
Laura Jennings M.S. - visiting Ph.D. student (from Cornell University
Investigation of Polaromonas sp. strain JS666 as a Potential Bioaugmentation Agent at cis-1,2-DCE-Contaminated
Sites
Ayrat Ziganshin
– visiting Fulbright Ph.D. student (from Kazan State University , Russia
Transformation of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene
by Yeast Cells
Adrienne Phillips M.S. – Research Engineer
(Chemical Engineer)
Biofilm Restoration of Contaminated Army
Sites
Fate and Transport of Heavy Metals and Radionuclides
in the Environment
Zero Emission
Research Technology (ZERT) Program (CO2 Sequestration Research)
Howard Christiansen M.S. – Research Associate
(Chemistry)
Mass Spectrometry and Chromatography Specialist
Laura Boegli –
Laboratory Technician (Center for Innovation)
Biofilm Restoration of Contaminated Army
Sites
Zero Emission
Research Technology (ZERT) Program (CO2 Sequestration Research)
Logan
Effect of Biofilms on Porous
Media Hydrodynamics
Peter Haun –
Undergraduate Research Assistant (Chemical and Biological Engineering - MSU)
Miniaturization of Toxicity Tests
Stacy Biebel –
Undergraduate Research Assistant (Chemical and Biological Engineering - MSU)
Zero Emission
Research Technology (ZERT) Program (CO2 Sequestration Research)
and past
Thomas Borch
Chromatographic, Spectroscopic and Microscopic Analyses
Reveal the Impact of Iron Oxides and Electron Shuttles on the Degradation
Pathway of TNT by a Fermenting Bacterium
John Gilmore – Laboratory Technician
Various projects
David Steppler –
Undergraduate Scholar
Mixed Contaminant Transformations by Zero-Valent Iron
Heidi Cicon –
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Various projects
Kristy Weaver
Jace Harwood
Funding
Present
Mobility of Source Zone Heavy Metals and Radionuclides:
The Mixed Roles of Fermentative Activity on Fate and Transport of U and
Cr (Role Co-PI); DOE/ERSP; 03/06-11/07; Collaborators: Brent Peyton (MSU),
William A. Apel (
A Genomes to Geochemical Analysis of
Geothermal Features in
and past
Biofilm-Based Remediation Technologies for the
Environmental and Biofilm
Mass Spectrometry Facility (Role: PI);
Enhanced
DNAPL Degradation by Thermophilic Bioaugmentation
of Electrical Resistance Heating (Role: Collaborator); SBIR NSF; 11/03 - 12/03; Collaborators: Center for Innovation (
Microbial
Alteration of Reducible Metal Ions (PIs:
Tomography and Biogeochemical Reconnaissance for
Characterizing Microbial and Solute Transport in a Heterogenous
Coarse Alluvial Aquifer (Role: Subcontractor); Subcontract from
Publications & Presentations
Publications (accepted
and published):
Cunningham,
A.B.; Sharp, R.S.; Caccavo Jr,
F.; Gerlach, R.: Effects of Starvation on Bacterial Transport Through
Porous Media. Advances
in Water Resources. Accepted for publication.
Seymour,
J.D.; Gage, J.P.; Codd, S.L.; Gerlach,
R. Magnetic Resonance
Microscopy of Biofouling Induced Scale Dependent
Transport in Porous Media. Advances in Water Resources. Accepted for
publication.
Sharp;
R.R.; Stoodley, P.; Adgie,
M.; Gerlach, R.; Cunningham, A.B. (2005): Visualization and
characterization of dynamic patterns of flow, growth, and activity of biofilms growing in porous media. Water Science and Technology. 52,
7:85-90.
Borch, T.; Inskeep
W.P.; Harwood,
J.A.; R. Gerlach, R. (2005): Impact of Ferrihydrite and Anthraquinone-2,6-Disulphonate on the Reductive Transformation of
2,4,6-Trinitrotoluene by a Gram Positive Fermenting Bacterium. Environmental Science and
Technology. 39, 18:7126-7133.
Seymour,
J.D.; Gage, J.P.; Codd, S.L.; Gerlach,
R. (2004): Anomalous Fluid Transport in
Porous Media Induced by Biofilm Growth. Physical Review Letters.
93, 19:8101-8104.
Borch, T.; Gerlach, R. (2004): Use of Reversed Phase High-Performance
Liquid Chromatography-Diode Array Detection for Complete Separation of 2,4,6-Trinitrotoluene Metabolites and EPA Method 8330
Explosives: Influence of Column Temperature and Ion-Pair Reagent. Journal of Chromatography A. 1022:
83-94.
Gage J.P.; Seymour, J.D.; Codd, S.L.; Gerlach, R. (2004): Biofilm Growth
Induced Transformation of Porous Media Dynamics. Eos Trans. AGU, 85(47), Fall Meet. Suppl., Abstract H11E-0342, 2004
Sharp R.R.; Gerlach, R.; Cunningham,
A.B.; Adgie, M.; Stoodley,
P. (2004): Use
of Bioluminescence to Study Reactive Solute Transport and Biofilm
Growth and Activity in Porous Media. Eos Trans. AGU, 85(47), Fall Meet. Suppl., Abstract H13I-03, 2004
Borch,
T., Inskeep, W.P., Gerlach,
R. (2004):
Iron (Hydr)Oxides and
Electron Shuttles Govern the Fate of 2.4.6-Trinitrotoluene by a Soil Bacterium.
Borch, T.; Gerlach, R.;
Cunningham, A.B.; Peyton, B.M.; Apel, W.A. (2002): Influence of Biogenically Produced Fe(II) and Humic Acid Analogs on the Fate of 2,4,6-Trinitrotoluene
(TNT). Eos Trans. AGU, 83(47), Fall Meet. Suppl.,
Abstract B22E-11, 2002
Nyman, J.L.; Cunningham, A.B.;
Caccavo, F. Jr. & Gerlach,
R. (2002): Biogeochemical Elimination of Chromium (VI) from Contaminated Water. Bioremediation Journal. 6(1):39-55.
Gerlach, R.; Nyman, J.L.; Caccavo Jr., F. & Cunningham, A.B. (2000): Iron-Reducing
Bacteria Facilitate the Geochemical Elimination of Cr(VI)
from Contaminated Water. In Preprints of Extended Abstracts,
220th ACS National Meeting, August 20-24, 2000,
Gerlach, R.; Cunningham, A.B. & Caccavo Jr., F. (2000): Biogeochemical
Processes Involving Dissimilatory Iron-Reducing
Bacteria Can Influence the Transformation of Carbon Tetrachloride by Iron
Metal. In Preprints of Extended Abstracts, 220th ACS National
Meeting, August 20-24, 2000,
Bouwer, E.J., Rijnaarts,
H.H.M., Cunningham, A.B. & Gerlach, R. (2000): Biofilms in Porous Media. In Bryers,
J.D. (Ed.): Biofilms II: Process Analysis and Applications. Wiley-Liss,
Inc. pp. 123-158.
Gerlach, R., Cunningham, A.B. & Caccavo, F. Jr. (2000): Dissimilatory
Iron-Reducing Bacteria Influence the Performance of Zero-Valent
Iron. Environmental
Science and Technology, 34, 2461-2464.
Gerlach, R.; Steiof,
M.; Zhang, C. & Hughes, J.B. (1999): Low
Aqueous Solubility Electron Donors for the Reduction of Nitroaromatics
in Anaerobic Sediments. Journal of
Contaminant Hydrology 36, 91-104.
Gerlach, R.; Caccavo,
F. Jr. & Cunningham, A.B. (1999):
Chromium Elimination with Microbially Reduced Iron
– Redox-Reactive Biobarriers,
In: Alleman, B.C. and Leeson,
A.L. (eds.), Bioremediation of metals and inorganic compounds, Proceedings from
the Fifth In Situ and On-Site Bioremediation Symposium, held April 19-22, 1999
in San Diego, CA, Battelle Press, Columbus, Richland, pp. 13-18.
Sharp, R.R.; Gerlach, R. & Cunningham, A.B. (1999): Bacterial Transport Issues Related to
Subsurface Biobarriers, In: Alleman,
B.C. and Leeson, A.L. (eds.), Engineered approaches
for in situ bioremediation of chlorinated solvent contamination, Proceedings
from the Fifth In Situ and On-Site Bioremediation Symposium, held April 19-22,
1999 in San Diego, CA, Battelle Press, Columbus, Richland, pp. 211-216.
Gerlach, R.; Cunningham, A.B.; Caccavo Jr., F.
(1998): Formation of Redox-Reactive Subsurface
Barriers Using Dissimilatory Metal-Reducing Bacteria.
In Ericksen, L.E. and Rankin, M.M. (eds.):
Proceedings of the 1998 Conference on Hazardous Waste Research – Bridging
Gaps in Technology and Culture. Snowbird, UT,
Gerlach, R.; Steiof,
M. & Hughes, J.B. (1996): Anaerober Abbau substituierter aromatischer Verbindungen in Sedimenten
(Anaerobic Degradation of Substituted Aromatic Compounds in Sediments). In Kreysa, G. & J. Wiesner (eds.): In situ Sanierung von Böden.
Resümee und Beiträge des 11. DECHEMA Fachgesprächs
Umweltschutz / DECHEMA, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Chemisches
Apparatewesen, Chemische Technik und Biotechnologie e.V., Frankfurt am Main.
pp. 305-314.
Publications (submitted
and in preparation):
Sivaswamy, V.;
Peyton, B.M.; Viamajala, S.; Gerlach,
R., Apel, W.A.; Sani, R.K.;
Dohnalkova, A; Borch, T.
Dual Mechanisms of Uranium
Immobilization by Cellulomonas sp. strain ES6. Environmental
Science and Technology. Submitted for Publication.
Ballor, N.R; Borch, T.; Gerlach, R. Mixed
Waste Degradation by Gram Positive Subsurface Bacteria and the Influence of
Electron Shuttles. Environmental
Science and Technology. Submitted for Publication.
Gerlach, R.; Viamajala, S;
Gerlach, R.; Field, E.K.; Peyton
B.M.; Apel W.A.; Cunningham A.B. Influence of Carbon Source, Iron Minerals, and
Electron Shuttling Compounds on the Bacterial Reduction of Chromate. In Preparation.
Viamajala S., Gerlach
R., Sivaswamy V., Peyton B.M., Apel
W.A., Cunningham A.B., Petersen J.N.
Chromate reduction by Cellulomonas: Multi-scale flow
cell experiments. In Preparation.
Borch T.; Gerlach R. & Inskeep W.P. The
Influence of Fe(Hydr)oxide
Phases and the electron shuttle anthraquinone-2,6-disulfonate
on the reduction of 2,4,6-Trinitrotoluene by a fermenting Bacterium. In Preparation.
Gerlach, R.; Cunningham, A.B. & Caccavo, F. Jr.: Change of transport-related
cell properties during starvation of Shewanella algae BrY. In Preparation.
Presentations:
Gage, J.P.; Seymour, J.D.; Codd, S.L.; Gerlach, R. (2004): Biofilm Growth
Induced Transformation of Porous Media Dynamics. Poster Presentation at the
2004 American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, San Francisco, CA, Dec 13-17,
2004
Sharp, R.R.; Gerlach, R.; Cunningham,
A.B.; Adgie, M.; Stoodley,
P. (2004): Use
of Bioluminescence to Study Reactive Solute Transport and Biofilm
Growth and Activity in Porous Media. Platform Presentation at the 2004 American
Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, San Francisco, CA, Dec 13-17, 2004
R.
Gerlach & Matheson, L. (2004): Reductive Transformation of Cr(VI) and 2,4,6-Trinitrotoluene (TNT) in Batch and Flow
Systems – Scale-up Considerations. Platform Presentation at the 4th INRA
Subsurface Science Symposium,
R.
Gerlach; Cunningham, A.B.; Viamajala,
S.; Peyton, B.M.; Apel, W.A. (2004): Influence of Carbon Sources, Electron
Shuttling Compounds, and Iron Minerals on the Reduction of Oxidized
Contaminants. Platform Presentation at the 4th INRA Subsurface Science
Symposium,
V.
Sivaswamy; Peyton, B.M.; Viamajala,
S.; Gerlach, R.; Apel, W.A.
(2004): Uranium Immobilization by Cellulomonas. Poster Presentation at the 4th INRA
Subsurface Science Symposium,
J.P.
Gage; Seymour, J.D.; Codd, S.L.; Gerlach,
R. (2004): Biofilm
Growth Induced Transformation of Porous Media Dynamics. Platform Presentation
at the 4th INRA Subsurface Science Symposium,
T.
Borch; Inskeep
W.P.; R. Gerlach, R. (2004):
Iron (Hydr)Oxides and
Electron Shuttles Govern the Fate of 2.4.6-Trinitrotoluene by a Soil Bacterium.
Platform
Presentation. Goldschmidt Conference - Processes in Geochemistry, Copenhagen
(Denmark), June 05-11, 2004.
R. Gerlach;
Borch,. T; Cunningham, A.B.;
Viamajala, S.; Peyton, B.M.; Apel,
W.A. (2004): Influence
of Electron Shuttling Compounds and Iron Minerals on the Reduction of Metals
and Organics. Platform presentation.
4th International Conference on Remediation of Chlorinated and Recalcitrant
Compounds,
L.J. Matheson, Goldberg, W.C.;
Gerlach, R. (2004): Biofilm Restoration of Contaminated Army Sites. Presentation at
J.P.
Gage; Codd, S.L.; Gerlach,
R.; Seymour, J.D. (2003): NMR Microscopy of
Microbial Transport in Porous Media. Poster Presentation, ASM Conference on Biofilms – Biofilms 2003.
R.
Gerlach; Borch, T.;
Cunningham, A.B.; Viamajala, S.; Peyton, B.M.; Apel, W.A. (2003): Influence of Electron Shuttling Compounds on the Reduction of Metals and
Organics. Platform Presentation at the 3rd INRA Subsurface Science
Symposium,
S.
Viamajala; Peyton, B.M.; Sivaswamy,
V.; Apel, W.A.; Gerlach,
R.; Cunningham, A.B. (2003): Cr (VI) Reduction by Cellulomonas: Multi-Scale
Flow-Cell Experiments. Platform Presentation at the 3rd INRA
Subsurface Science Symposium,
T.
Borch; Gerlach, R.;
Cunningham, A.B. (2003): Iron (III) Minerals Can Impact the Microbial Reduction of 2,4,6-Trinitrotoluene. Platform Presentation at
the 3rd INRA Subsurface Science Symposium,
Gage,
J.P.; Seymour, J.D.; Codd, S.L.; Gerlach,
R.; Cunningham, A.B. (2003): NMR Imaging
of Microbial Transport in Porous Media. Platform Presentation at the 3rd INRA
Subsurface Science Symposium,
Gage,
J.P.; Codd, S.L.; Gerlach,
R.;
S.
Viamajala; Gerlach, R.;
Peyton, B.M.; Apel, W.A.; Cunningham, A.B.; Petersen,
J.N. (2003): Passive Reactive Barrier
(PRB) for In Situ Remediation of Cr(VI): Bench- and Meso-Scale
Tests using Cellulomonas spp.
Platform Presentation. 2nd European Bioremediation
Conference. Chania,
S. Viamajala;
Peyton, B.M.; Apel, W.A.; Gerlach,
R.; Cunningham, A.B. (2003): Cr(VI)
Reduction by Cellulomonas spp. — Batch Kinetics and Meso-Scale Tests. Platform presentation. 7th International Symposium on
In Situ and On-Site Bioremediation Symposium,
T. Borch;
Gerlach, R.; Cunningham, A.B. (2003): 2,4,6-Trinitrotoluene (TNT) Biodegradation by a Novel
Gram-Positive Iron-Reducing Bacterium. Platform presentation. 7th International Symposium on
In Situ and On-Site Bioremediation Symposium,
R. Gerlach, Borch, T.; Cunningham, A.B. (2003):
Biofilm-Based Technologies for Mixed-Waste
Remediation. Presentation at
T. Borch;
Gerlach, R.; Cunningham, A.B.; Peyton, B.M.; Apel W.A. & Inskeep, W.P. (2002): Influence of Biogenically
Produced Fe(II), Electron Shuttling, and Humic Acid on the Fate of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT).
T.
Borch, Gerlach, R.;
Cunningham, A.B.; Peyton, B.M.; Apel, W.A. (2002): Influence of Biogenically Produced Fe(II) and Humic Acid Analogs on the Fate of 2,4,6-Trinitrotoluene
(TNT). Platform presentation. Fall Meeting, American
Geophysical Union,
T.
Borch; Jordan, R.N.; Cunningham, A.B. & Gerlach, R. (2002):
Use of High Performance Liquid Chromatography – Diode Array Detection for
the Improved Analysis of 2,4,6-Trinitrotoluene and its
Reduced Metabolites. Poster Presentation at the 2nd INRA Subsurface Science
Symposium,
R. Gerlach;
Cunningham, A.B.; Peyton, B.M. & Apel, W.A. (2002) Iron Mediated Reduction of Reducible
Contaminants by Cellulomonas spp. Platform
Presentation at the 2nd INRA Subsurface Science Symposium, Boise, ID, October
13-16, 2002
S.
Viamajala; Peyton, B.M.; Petersen, J.N.; Apel, W.A.; Sani, R.; Gerlach, R. & Cunningham, A.B. (2002): Metal reduction with Cellulomonas
isolates obtained from Cr(VI)-contaminated aquifers. Platform Presentation at
the 2nd INRA Subsurface Science Symposium,
S.
Viamajala; Gerlach, R.;
Peyton, B.M.; Cunningham, A.B. & Apel, W.A. (2002): Direct and Indirect Microbial Reduction of Cr(VI) by Cellulomonas spp. in the presence of iron minerals. Poster
Presentation at the 2nd INRA Subsurface Science Symposium,
R. Gerlach;
Nyman, J.L.; Cunningham, A.B.; Caccavo Jr., F. & Apel, W.A. (2001): Iron-Reducing Bacteria and Permeable Reactive
Subsurface Barriers. Platform presentation. 1st
INRA Subsurface Science Symposium,
R. Gerlach;
Cunningham, A.B. & Caccavo, F. Jr. (2001): Explanation of Bacterial Transport
Enhancement by Starvation. Poster presentation. 1st
INRA Subsurface Science Symposium,
R. Gerlach;
Cunningham, A.B. & Caccavo, F. Jr. (2001): Explanation of Bacterial
Transport Enhancement by Starvation. Poster presentation.
6th International Symposium on In Situ and On-Site Bioremediation
Symposium,
R. Gerlach;
Nyman, J.L.; Cunningham, A.B.; Caccavo Jr., F. & Apel, W.A. (2001): Iron-Reducing Bacteria and Permeable Reactive Subsurface
Barriers. Platform presentation. 6th International
Symposium on In Situ and On-Site Bioremediation Symposium,
R. gerlach, Cunningham, A.B.
& Caccavo Jr., F. (2000): Dissimilatory Iron-Reducing Bacteria
Can Influence the Reduction of Carbon Tetrachloride by Iron Metal. Presentation
at the Hazardous Waste Research 2000 Conference in Denver, CO, 23-25 May 2000.
Gerlach, R.; Caccavo,
F. Jr. & Cunningham, A. B. (1999): Chromium(VI)-Elimination from Contaminated Groundwaters Using Redox-Reactive
Biobarriers. Poster Presentation at
1999 Conference on Hazardous Waste Research – Gateways to Environmental
Solutions. Great Plains/Rocky Mountain Hazardous
Gerlach, R. (1998): Formation of Reactive Subsurface Barriers Using Dissimilatory Metal-Reducing Bacteria. Presentation
at Engineering Biological Processes for Environmental Enhancement.
Annual Meeting of the Pacific Northwest Region of the ASAE in
Short Courses and Invited Lectures
R.
Gerlach (2004):
An Introduction to Bioremediation. Guest Lecture PS101/VTMB101/MB110.
R.
Gerlach (2003):
An Introduction to Bioremediation. Guest Lecture PS101/VTMB101/MB110.
Short Course on Bioremediation
of Reducible Metals. Instructors: Cunningham, A.B.; Apel, W.A.; Caccavo Jr., F.;
Peyton, B.M.; Petersen, J.S.; Gerlach, R. 6th
International Symposium on In Situ and On-Site Bioremediation Symposium, San
Diego, CA, June 06, 2001.
Biobarriers - A Novel
Technology for the Containment and Remediation of Contaminated Groundwater.
Iron-Reducing Bacteria and
Permeable Reactive Subsurface Barriers.