Contaminated Land and Bio-Remediation - Environmental Biotechnology: Theory and Application - page 107

Site monitoring for biotechnological applications
Environmental monitoring is well established as a separate science in its own right
and many notable topics have been written to describe the various approaches
and techniques relevant to its many practical applications. It is then, clearly,
beyond the scope of this work to reiterate these discussions and the reader is
recommended to examine such publications at first hand should detailed infor-
mation be required. However, since monitoring plays such an important role in
the execution of bioremediation plans, it would be wrong not to make mention
of some of the more directly relevant points in passing. On particularly relevant
aspect in this context is the approach to sampling.
Sampling
Sampling involves two distinct and quite separate activities; firstly, the design
of a sampling plan and secondly its practical execution. The first steps are to
define the objectives of the programme and obtain agreement from all those
concerned as to what will happen to the results produced and what decisions will
be taken on the basis of the results obtained. During this process, it is important
to consider the scope for any uncertainty which may arise from the intended
sampling and analysis and whether the required decisions can be made on the
basis of sound data. What analytes or constituents are to be determined and by
which analytical methods obviously plays a major part in this, since the accuracy
of the intended method must be known if the bioremediation intervention is to
be assessed against these measurements.
In respect of the actual sampling methodology, it will be necessary to charac-
terise the samples to be taken adequately in terms of description, location, batch
number, size, and so on, as appropriate. The number of incremental samples,
and the manner in which they are to be taken is also of great importance to
the overall accuracy of the regime and, hence, its value to the wider application
of clean-up biotechnology. At the same time, the total volume or mass of the
aggregate sample, the size of the final laboratory sample and what steps are taken
to reduce the former to the latter must all be carefully decided, as must transport,
storage or preparation arrangements.
Safety aspects are also important to take into account at the planning stage,
both in terms of the site itself and the expected contamination as well as deciding
what specialist equipment or protective clothing will be required. Under certain
circumstances, it may be required or advisable to have sampling carried out in
the presence of witnesses or representatives of regulatory bodies. This needs to
be considered at an early stage and adequate provision made within the plan to
accommodate it. Finally, allowance should be made to review the sampling plan,
to ensure that it continues to provide adequate data for the purposes required
during bioremediation.
The actual analysis and mechanisms of monitoring are well enough covered
elsewhere to not warrant consideration here. However, as a final point it is worth
noting that for some sites it may be necessary to continue monitoring into the