Project Grant 2223737

This three-year, $335,860 project grant from the National Science Foundation's Division of Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental, and Transport Systems aims to develop strategies to enhance bioremediation of toxic chemical soil contamination. Specifically, the principal investigator at the State University of New York at Buffalo will investigate using chemical gradients to accelerate the transport of bacteria through soil matrices toward contamination sites. The research will experimentally characterize the interplay between bacterial chemotaxis and diffusiophoresis in microfluidic systems and demonstrate an effective, low-cost bioremediation method in laboratory-scale soil studies. Broader impacts include introducing undergraduate engineering students to microbial engineering through a new hands-on course and mentoring a graduate student. If successful, the research could yield an improved ability to remediate hard-to-reach contaminated soil areas under the National Science Foundation's Engineering grant program (CFDA 47.041). The sub-awardee, the Research Foundation for the State University of New York, will provide sponsored projects administration and management for the award.