research

projects

imaging micro-organisms and pollutants at the micro-scale

Dr David Werner and Dr Russell Davenport
NERC

Currently, there is a paucity of knowledge regarding the micro-scale association between pollutants such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and pollutant-degrading microbes in polluted soils and sediments. The exact physicochemical nature/shape of the matrix containing PAHs and its association with PAH-degraders affects the degradability and bioavailability of these pollutants. A scientific tool to visualize the shape and dimension of the PAH-rich matrices and to identify and enumerate the colonizing communities would thus be most useful for the risk assessment for impacted environments and for the optimization of remediation technologies.