OUR RESEARCH
Treatability studies
Microcosms established with materials collected from contaminated sites remain a powerful
approach to assess if the resident microbiota has the capacity for contaminant degradation. Microcosm
studies help to identify bottlenecks for in situ biodegradation and to assess if manipulations of the
geochemical conditions can result in efficient degradation. The Löffler Lab has expertise applying
this approach, which provides key information for developing productive site cleanup strategies.
Treatability studies often generate biodegrading cultures of interest for follow-up studies,
which are for discovering novel microorganisms of interest.