Grants and Contributions:

Grant or Award spanning more than one fiscal year. (2017-2018 to 2022-2023)

Contaminated sites are ubiquitous in Canada with the Federal registry listing 23,078 sites. Increasingly recurrent environmental emergencies involving unconventional oils such as Lac Mégantic’s train derailment (Quebec) or pipeline leaks (Only in Alberta, 15609 leaks occurred between 1990 and 2012 - not including recent major spills in Peace, Slave and N. Saskatchewan rivers) provide evidence that contamination, with toxic compounds of vast water bodies and lands, results in enormous environmental damage and loss of ecological services e.g. source of drinking water. Biotreatments (aerobic biodegradation and phytoremediation) are favored remediation techniques. However, these techniques are applied as closed boxes not considering contaminant specificities or micro-organisms’ functions or factors of importance to Canadian context. This results in poor remediation efficiency, residual toxicity due to unknown degradation byproducts preventing the re-use or recycling of treated soils and sediments. This research program will offer solutions by developing innovative in-situ ecotoxicity assessment protocols and tools and enhanced tiered biotreatments designed with assistance of genomic information. These advances in knowledge and tools developments are critically needed and when applied the outcomes will result in higher economic, technical and environmental benefits. The program will tackle specific families of contaminants present in Canadian sites, some emerging, namely: unconventional petroleum hydrocarbons (Dilbit and Bakken) –PHs– (mono, polycyclic aromatics; MAH and PAH, respectively, with accent on toxic alkyl-PAHs); trace metals –TMs – (Pb, Cd, Zn, Ni, Cu) and transition metals –TRMs – (Hg, Va) present in unconventional oils; the highly toxic platinum-group elements PGEs – (Pt, Pd) which are present in all hazardous substances transportation pipelines/train cars and reservoirs, and Salts (Cl, SO 4 ) from unconventional oils or winter road de-icing as they are widely found in high concentrations and affect site remediation. The originality of this research program is high and includes multiple aspects: 1) consideration of multiple ecotoxicity sources and cumulative effects in the design of monitoring and remedial actions; 2) use of emergent genomic tools to obtain key bioprocess information and enhance biotreatments; 3) study of emerging contaminants (alkyl-PAHs, Pt, Pd) and influence and attenuation of salts in remedial inhibition. It will also promote the emerging field of Integrative Remediation Engineering. An elevated number of HQP will be trained with advanced and innovative scientific and technical tools, promoting the exportation of Canadian know-how and know-do expertise in a crucial sector of importance to Canada and the world.