[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 228 (Monday, November 25, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 59868-59872]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-30016]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Energy Research Financial Assistance Program Notice 97-04;
Natural and Accelerated Bioremediation Research Program
AGENCY: Office of Energy Research, DOE.
ACTION: Notice inviting research grant applications.
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SUMMARY: The Office of Health and Environmental Research (OHER) of the
Office of Energy Research (ER), U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), hereby
announces its interest in receiving applications for research grants in
the Natural and Accelerated Bioremediation Research (NABIR) Program.
The NABIR Program is made up of the following scientific research
elements: Acceleration; Assessment; Biogeochemical Dynamics;
Biomolecular Science and Engineering; Biotransformation and
Biodegradation; Community Dynamics and Microbial Ecology, and System
Engineering, Integration, Prediction, and Optimization. The NABIR
program also includes a social-legal element called Bioremediation and
its Social Implications and Concerns (BASIC). Grant applications are
being solicited in each of the first six scientific research elements,
as well as in the BASIC element, but not in the System Engineering,
Integration, Prediction, and Optimization element.
DATES: Applicants are encouraged (but not required) to submit a
preliminary application for programmatic review. Early submission of
preliminary applications is encouraged, to allow time for meaningful
dialogue. A brief preliminary application should consist of two to
three pages of narrative describing the research objectives and methods
of accomplishment together with a brief summary of the principal
investigator's publication and research background; only one copy is
required. The deadline for receipt of formal applications is 4:30 p.m.,
E.S.T., January 30, 1997, to be accepted for merit review and to permit
timely consideration for award in fiscal year 1997. An original and
seven copies of the application must be submitted; however, applicants
are requested not to submit multiple applications using more than one
delivery or mail service.
ADDRESSES: If submitting a preliminary application, referencing Program
Notice 97-04, it should be sent e-mail to john.houghton@oer.doe.gov.
Formal applications referencing Program Notice 97-04 on the cover page
must be forwarded to: U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy
Research, Grants and Contracts Division, ER-64, 19901 Germantown Road,
Germantown, MD 20874-1290, ATTN: Program Notice 97-04. This address
must also be used when submitting applications by U.S. Postal Service
Express Mail or any other commercial overnight delivery service, or
when hand-carried by the applicant.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. John Houghton, Environmental
Sciences Division, ER-74, Office of Health and Environmental Research,
Office of Energy Research, U.S. Department of Energy, 19901 Germantown
Road, Germantown, MD 20874-1290, telephone (301) 903-8288, e-mail
john.houghton@oer.doe.gov, fax (301) 903-8519.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The mission of the NABIR Program is to
provide the scientific understanding needed to use natural processes
and to develop new methods to accelerate those processes for the
bioremediation of contaminated soils, sediments, and groundwater at DOE
facilities. The program will be implemented through seven interrelated
scientific research elements (Acceleration, Assessment, Biogeochemical
Dynamics, Biomolecular Science and Engineering, Biotransformation and
Biodegradation, Community Dynamics and Microbial Ecology, and System
Engineering, Integration, Prediction, and Optimization); and a social
and legal element called Bioremediation and its Social Implications and
Concerns (BASIC). A document entitled Natural and Accelerated
Bioremediation Research Program Plan (DOE/ER-0659T) contains an initial
planning description of the NABIR Program and each of the science
elements. It is available via the Internet using the following web site
address: http://www.er.doe.gov/production/oher/nabir/cover.html. The
NABIR Program Plan is also available from the Office of Scientific and
Technical Information, P.O. Box 62, Oak Ridge, TN 37831 (DOE and DOE
grantees only) and the U.S. Department of Commerce, Technology
Administration, National Technical Information Service, Springfield, VA
22161, (703) 487-4650 (public source). Additional information about
NABIR, such as references to infrastructure that could be available to
the research community, can be accessed from the NABIR Homepage: http:/
/www.lbl.gov/NABIR/. Each scientific research element is directed by a
program manager from OHER, who is responsible for providing support and
overall direction for the element, including determining the relevance
of the proposed research to the goals and objectives of the program
element to the NABIR and other DOE programs. The NABIR program also has
Science Team Leaders, selected through a previous peer review process,
who will provide scientific leadership and coordination to the
community of NABIR investigators.
Program Focus
The NABIR Program supports long-term, hypothesis-driven research
directed at specific topics that will provide the understanding
necessary to develop effective new technologies for DOE site cleanup.
This research will help determine the future viability of
bioremediation technologies at the DOE sites. The NABIR Program will
not support research to evaluate the risk to humans or to the
environment. Although the program is directed at specific goals, it
supports research that is more fundamental in nature than demonstration
projects.
The initial theme for the NABIR Program will be an emphasis on
field-scale research and metal and radionuclide contamination,
specifically on the metals and radionuclides associated with weapons
production. However, the research program will support laboratory,
theoretical, modeling, and other non-field research
[[Page 59869]]
projects, if they fill important gaps that would be necessary to
complete understanding for field-scale applications. The study of real
problems might iterate between, for example, the laboratory and the
field. Investigators without access to laboratories licensed to work
with radionuclides may propose research with non-radioactive surrogates
of radionuclides, or collaboration with a licensed laboratory. The
NABIR program will initially emphasize the bioremediation of metals and
radionuclides in the subsurface below the root zone, including both
thick vadose and saturated zones. Typically, the bioremediation of
metals and radionuclides involves, but is not limited to, mobilization
and immobilization scenarios. Consideration of organic contaminants,
such as solvents and complexing agents that would be important
substrates, facilitators, inhibitors, or carbon or electron donors or
acceptors, can be included in the proposed research to the extent that
they influence the primary goal of understanding the remediation of
metals and radionuclides. Applicants are encouraged to review Chemical
Contaminants on DOE Lands, DOE/ER-0547T, available at the OHER
Homepage: http://www.er.doe.gov/production/oher/EPR/pub__epr.html, for
a compilation of wastes and waste mixtures at the DOE sites.
NABIR is a research program designed to serve as a foundation for
microbial in situ bioremediation techniques. Although ``spillover''
benefits of the research to other cleanup needs such as the use of
bioreactors to process waste streams are anticipated, NABIR supports
investigations into bioremediation of subsurface waste sites. This
emphasis includes research that will assist the application of in situ
bioremediation in conjunction with other cleanup methods, for example,
using bioremediation to mobilize radionuclides so that pump-and-treat
techniques could be more effective. Problems characterized by large
areas with low-concentration contamination are emphasized over problems
of localized, high concentrations. Research on phytoremediation will
not be supported during this initial funding period.
In research plans that involve the potential release of chemicals,
enzymes, and/or microorganisms to the field (both at contaminated and
non-contaminated control sites), applicants should discuss how they
will involve the public or stakeholders in their research, beginning
with experimental design through completion of the project. All
applicants should discuss other relevant societal issues, where
appropriate, which may include intellectual property protection,
communication with and outreach to affected communities (including
members of affected minority communities where appropriate) to explain
the proposed research.
NABIR Infrastructure
The NABIR program anticipates selecting at least one Field Research
Center (FRC) located on a DOE site. The FRC will serve as a central
facility for researchers to use at their option.
However, FRCs will not be available (or even identified) for at
least a year, because of a current National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA) review of the NABIR Program. Therefore, applicants are
encouraged to use any site that is presently available to them,
including but not limited to DOE sites. Investigators should describe
how their research will interface with or transfer to field scale
research at their site. Applicants should access the NABIR Homepage:
http://www.lbl.gov/NABIR/ for a listing of available sites and
facilities.
A centrally-maintained database will be developed to provide
limited data, such as site characterization and kinetics data, needed
by a broad segment of investigators. Applications shall include a short
discussion of the Quality Assurance and Quality Control (QA/QC)
measures that will be applied in data gathering and analysis
activities. Successful grantees will be expected to coordinate their
QA/QC measures with NABIR program personnel.
Scientific Research Elements
The following sections describe each of the six NABIR scientific
research elements and the emphasis that is given preference in this
solicitation. Applicants may propose research that transcends more than
one research element; it is also anticipated that many applications
could be placed in more than one element. However, each application
should state the one science element most closely aligned with the
proposed research, to facilitate scientific review.
Biotransformation and Biodegradation: The goal of all
bioremediation efforts is to reduce the potential toxicity of chemical
contaminants in the field by using living organisms or their products
to mineralize, degrade, transform, mobilize, or immobilize
contaminants. There is already a significant base of knowledge about
many pathways for organic chemical degradation, and several important
contaminant degradation mechanisms are presently under detailed
investigation. Despite the successful contributions of existing
knowledge about biodegradation and biotransformation mechanisms, there
is still need for additional research. At present, the understanding of
biotransformation and biodegradation pathways and mechanisms in the
field is incomplete. Although the degradation of many organic compounds
and the biotransformation of some inorganic compounds in laboratory
cultures have been well described, it is unclear how this information
relates to bioremediation processes under field conditions. The
biotransformation of metals and radionuclides in thick vadose zones is
poorly understood. Successful laboratory studies have not allowed for
predictions about the fate of complex chemical mixtures that include
metals and radionuclides in the field. It would be useful to know the
metabolic pathways taken by mixtures of chemicals in the presence of
complex microbial communities in vadose zones and their interfaces with
saturated zones and the waste plume. It would be equally useful to
understand the kinetics of desirable metal and radionuclide
biotransformations and the physicochemical factors affecting those
kinetics. Research is needed to address questions such as:
How can laboratory studies be used to accurately represent
field situations and allow for predictions of chemical fate?
How important are microbial species interactions in the
biotransformation of metals and radionuclides?
How do organic co-contaminants affect the
biotransformation of metals and radionuclides?
What factors control the kinetics of desirable metal and
radionuclide biotransformations in vadose and saturated zones?
Can biological processes be harnessed to permanently
sequester metals and/or radionuclides in the subsurface?
What are the metal- and radionuclide-transforming
capabilities of indigenous microorganisms in deep vadose or saturated
zones representative of DOE sites?
Community Dynamics and Microbial Ecology: Fundamental research in
Community Dynamics and Microbial Ecology at both the molecular and the
organismal level is needed to understand better the natural intrinsic
processes of bioremediation in mixed contaminant sites. A more complete
understanding of energetics and biogeochemical transformation at the
community level may ultimately
[[Page 59870]]
provide the ability to control or stimulate communities capable of
transformation and to channel carbon flow (particularly of polluting
organic compounds) through these communities or populations. It is
essential to understand the roles and interactions of diverse
communities in order to understand how and to what extent the structure
of the biological community influences the course of bioremediation and
to what extent the environmental factors influence community dynamics
in sites containing metals and radionuclides. This need is especially
critical to successful bioremediation of diffuse metals and
radionuclides in thick vadose and deep saturated zones. Research should
be directed toward the identification and characterization of microbial
communities at contaminated sites, and toward understanding the
dynamics of extant microbial communities under the influence of metals
and radionuclides. Research is needed to address questions such as:
Is there sufficient biological activity and diversity in
thick vadose zones to support natural and/or accelerated bioremediation
of metals and radionuclides?
What are the effects of metals and radionuclides on
microbial community activity and diversity, including both metabolic
and genetic activity and diversity?
Do microbial (population) interactions occur within
communities present in vadose zones contaminated with metals and
radionuclides?
What kind of measurement (assessment) technology must be
developed to interrogate microbial communities for their activity and
diversity before, during, and after bioremediation?
Biomolecular Science and Engineering: The overall goal of research
in the Biomolecular Science and Engineering element is to use molecular
and structural biology to enhance understanding of bioremediation and
to genetically modify macro-molecules and organisms to improve their
bioremedial activities. Using information and data gained from other
program elements, the molecules, enzymes, and enzyme pathways that are
most effective for bioremediation of metals and radionuclides will be
identified. Initial DOE objectives and priorities for research in
Biomolecular Science and Engineering are to: (i) identify, clone, and
sequence novel genes and promoters important to the bioremediation of
metals and radionuclides; and (ii) construct or enhance bioremedial
enzymatic pathways by identifying active genes from different
procaryotic, eukaryotic and archaeal organisms and inserting those
genes into one or more organisms that can survive and compete
effectively in a contaminated subsurface environment. Research in these
areas is encouraged that includes:
How can we identify and characterize important genes and
proteins that detoxify mixed contaminants or that affect the ability of
organisms to live and survive under contaminated conditions?
How can we identify and characterize genes from different
organisms that can work together to improve bioremediation?
How can we identify critical promoter elements that induce
or regulate bioremedial genes or gene clusters?
How can we develop expression systems for genes with an
emphasis on the use of organisms that will survive in contaminated
environments?
How can we develop organisms with improved enzymatic
pathways for bioremediation by combining genes from different organisms
into a single organism with an emphasis on the use of soil organisms or
organisms that will survive in other types of contaminated
environments?
Biogeochemical Dynamics: Successful bioremediation of metals and
radionuclides at DOE sites is closely linked to understanding the
complex and dynamic interplay of hydrological, geochemical, and
biological processes within geological media that are themselves
spatially and temporally heterogeneous. Understanding the natural
biogeochemical processes that control the mobility and form of
radionuclides is one of the most challenging problems affecting the
future viability of bioremediation at DOE sites, particularly within
the thick vadose zones and saturated zones below the root zone where
much of the contamination resides.
DOE cleanup problems are at the field scale, and the immediate
priority in biogeochemical dynamics is to scale up the existing
scientific knowledge base on underlying mechanisms and processes
governing metal and radionuclide behavior to the field. Focus will be
on (i) understanding how natural biogeochemical processes control the
mobility and stability of contaminants in waste mixtures, including the
biogeochemical processes that modify the form and behavior of
contaminants in mixtures; and (ii) the influence of spatial
heterogeneity in chemical, microbiological, and physical processes on
the transport and transformation of contaminant mixtures.
Research within biogeochemical dynamics seeks to quantify the
intrinsic biogeochemical processes that influence the form and behavior
of contaminants and which can lead to development of new concepts for
in situ bioremediation. New and creative scientific approaches are
sought that address the following fundamental research questions:
What are the principal biogeochemical reactions that
govern mixed contaminant concentration, chemical speciation, and
distribution between the aqueous and solid phases in the vadose and
saturated zones?
What are the thermodynamic and kinetic controls on these
reactions?
What are the major factors controlling the rate and extent
of oxidation and reduction of multivalent radionuclides and naturally-
occurring metals in various mineral phases? How can these factors be
manipulated to enhance or limit the mobility of contaminants?
What are the geochemical, microbiological, and transport
processes and their interactions that control biological availability,
transformation, and movement of contaminant mixtures?
What are the interdependent distributions of
microbiological, chemical, and physical properties and processes that
have scale-dependent effects on biogeochemical phenomena and
contaminant behavior? How can this information be scaled to the field?
How can fundamental understanding of biogeochemical
dynamics be used to develop innovative in situ remediation concepts for
application to DOE sites?
Assessment: Current methods for measuring and evaluating the
effectiveness of bioremediation are inadequate and, in most cases,
undeveloped. Demonstrating the effectiveness of bioremediation will
require documentation for direct impacts, such as loss of contaminants
from the site, or indirect impacts, such as product accumulation and
detoxification. The two primary objectives of research in the
Assessment program element are to develop innovative and effective
methods for assessing (i) bioremediation rate and activity, including
microbial community structure and dynamics, biotransformation processes
and rates, and electron flow; and (ii) bioremediation end points,
including not only the concentrations of the contaminants and
byproducts but also the stability, bioavailability, and toxicity of
residual end-products. NABIR will not, however, fund projects that
[[Page 59871]]
examine human health risks of end points.
This element will focus on developing techniques for assessing the
bioremedial activities of individual strains and functional groups
within a community, as well as validate existing and emerging
laboratory and field techniques. Priority will be given to research
applications that could result in techniques and/or instrumentation
that: (i) operate in real time; (ii) operate in field- scale
heterogeneous environments; (iii) are cost-effective; and (iv)
determine endpoints which more closely approximate limited or non-
bioavailability. Research is sought to answer questions such as:
Can quantitative techniques be adapted or developed for
measurement of microbial community structure, movement, activity, and
effectiveness during bioremediation?
How can geophysical, geochemical, and hydrologic
properties critical to bioremediation effectiveness be determined?
What new methods might be developed to interpret complex
data sets, including temporal and spatial variability in support of
bioremediation management?
Can bioremediation endpoints that accurately measure
bioavailability be quantitatively established?
Acceleration: This program element will address effective delivery
of microorganisms to contaminated zones, where bacteria and/or archaea
can transform, mobilize, or immobilize toxicants, particularly metals
and radionuclides in thick vadose and deep saturated zones. Highest
priority will be on research that defines issues of microbial
transport, such as chemical and physical heterogeneity and
geochemistry. The fundamental processes that affect microbial survival
are included in the Community Dynamics and Microbial Ecology Program
Element.
Building on new knowledge being developed in other program elements
on microbial community dynamics, biogeochemical processes governing the
form and behavior of inorganic solutes and the effects of heterogeneity
on these processes, research is needed to address questions such as:
What factors control the delivery and transport of
microorganisms and genetic elements in heterogeneous subsurface
systems?
What are the coupled effects of chemical, biological, and
hydrologic processes on transport, such as attachment/detachment of
microbial cells (including viruses and genetic elements) to mineral
grains in concert with advection and dispersion of cells and chemicals
during flow through porous media?
How can key controlling factors and coupled processes be
evaluated and scaled to the field for acceleration of natural
processes?
Basic
The introduction of non-native or genetically engineered
microorganisms or the manipulation of the environment to change its
microbial composition or chemical characteristics has the potential to
raise concerns among those who may live or work nearby. Great care is
required to involve the affected communities and stakeholders in any
plans to use novel agents and/or processes to remediate a contaminated
site; for example, a deliberate release of a non-indigenous
microorganism, the purposeful manipulation of a microbial community, or
the mobilization of a hazardous chemical. Although it may be many years
before work under the auspices of this program gets to that point, it
is wise to begin to consider some of the issues involved now.
The Bioremediation and its Societal Implications and Concerns
(BASIC) component of the NABIR program is directed at these larger
societal implications of bioremediation. DOE seeks to encourage
applications that address effective ways to articulate the risks and
benefits attendant to in situ bioremediation to stakeholders, and
effective ways to involve affected communities in bioremediation
research and decision making. The DOE also solicits applications for
the preparation and dissemination of educational materials in any
appropriate medium that will enhance understanding of the scientific as
well as the societal aspects of NABIR among the public or specified
groups. If an educational effort for a specific group is proposed, the
value to NABIR of that group or community should be explained in
detail. In addition, the DOE encourages applications for the support of
conferences focusing on the legal and societal implications of NABIR.
Applications should demonstrate knowledge of any relevant literature
and should include detailed plans for the gathering and analysis of
factual information and the associated societal implications. All
proposed research applications should address the issue of efficient
dissemination of results to the widest appropriate audience.
Administrative Information
To provide a consistent format for the submission, review and
solicitation of grant applications submitted under this notice, the
preparation and submission of grant applications must follow the
guidelines given in the Application Guide for the Office of Energy
Research Financial Assistance Program 10 CFR Part 605.
Information about the development, submission of applications,
eligibility, limitations, evaluation, the selection process, and other
policies and procedures may be found in 10 CFR Part 605, and in the
Application Guide for the Office of Energy Research Financial
Assistance Program. The Application Guide is available from the U. S.
Department of Energy, Office of Energy Research, ER-74, 19901
Germantown Road, Germantown, MD 20874-1290. Telephone requests may be
made by calling (301) 903-3338. Electronic access to ER's Financial
Assistance Application Guide is possible via the World Wide Web at:
http://www.er.doe.gov/production/grants/grants.html. The Office of
Energy Research (ER), as part of its grant regulations, requires at 10
CFR 605.11(b) that a grantee funded by ER and performing research
involving recombinant DNA molecules shall comply with the National
Institutes of Health ``Guidelines for Research Involving Recombinant
DNA Molecules'' (51 FR 16958, May 7, 1986), or such later guidelines as
may be published in the Federal Register. Grantees must also comply
with other federal and state laws and regulations as appropriate, for
example, the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) as it applies to
genetically modified organisms. Although compliance with NEPA is the
responsibility of DOE, grantees proposing to conduct field research are
expected to provide information necessary for the DOE to complete the
NEPA review and documentation. The research description must be 15
pages or less, exclusive of attachments, and must contain an abstract
or summary of the proposed research (to include the hypotheses being
tested, the proposed experimental design, and the names of all
investigators and their affiliations). Attachments include curriculum
vitae, QA/QC plan, a listing of all current and pending federal
support, and letters of intent when collaborations are part of the
proposed research.
Applications will be subjected to formal merit review (peer review)
and will be evaluated against the following evaluation criteria which
are listed in descending order of importance codified at 10 CFR
605.10(d):
1. Scientific and/or Technical Merit of the Project;
[[Page 59872]]
2. Appropriateness of the Proposed Method or Approach;
3. Competency of Applicant's personnel and Adequacy of Proposed
Resources;
4. Reasonableness and Appropriateness of the Proposed Budget.
Also, as part of the evaluation, program policy factors become a
selection priority.
Note, external peer reviewers are selected with regard to both
their scientific expertise and the absence of conflict-of-interest
issues. Non-federal reviewers will often be used, and submission of an
application constitutes agreement that this is acceptable to the
investigator(s) and the submitting institution.
It is anticipated that up to $10 million will be available for
multiple awards to be made in FY 1997 and early FY 1998 in the
categories described above, contingent on availability of appropriated
funds. Applications may request project support up to three years, with
out-year support contingent on availability of funds, progress of the
research, and programmatic needs. Annual budgets for most of the six
scientific research element projects are expected to range from
$200,000 to $500,000 total costs. Annual budgets for most of the BASIC
projects are expected not to exceed $100,000. Researchers are
encouraged to team with investigators in other disciplines where
appropriate. DOE may encourage collaboration among prospective
investigators, to promote joint applications or joint research
projects, by using information obtained through the preliminary
applications or through other forms of communication.
Although the required original and seven copies of the application
must be submitted, researchers are asked to submit an electronic
version of their abstract of the proposed research in ASCII format and
their e-mail address to Karen Carlson by e-mail at
karen.carlson@oer.doe.gov. Additional information on the NABIR Program
is available at the following web site: http://www.lbl.gov/NABIR/. For
researchers who do not have access to the world wide web, please
contact Karen Carlson; Environmental Sciences Division, ER-74; U.S.
Department of Energy; 19901 Germantown Road; Germantown, MD 20874-1290;
(301) 903-3338 phone; (301) 903-8519 fax; karen.carlson@oer.doe.gov;
for hard copies of background material mentioned in this solicitation.
Curriculum vitae should be submitted in a form similar to that of NIH
or NSF (two to three pages), see for example: http://www.nsf.gov:80/
bfa/cpo/gpg/fkit.htm#forms-9.
Related Funding Opportunities
Investigators may wish to obtain information about the following
related funding opportunities:
Department of Energy, Office of Environmental Management: The
Environmental Management Science Program (EMSP). Contact: Carol Henry,
Science and Policy Director, Office of Integrated Risk Management, EM-
52, U.S. Department of Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue, S.W.,
Washington, DC 20585, e-mail carol.henry@em.doe.gov. Phone 202-586-
7150. The EMSP home page is available at web site:
www.em.doe.gov.science.
DOE/EPA/NSF/ONR Joint Program on Bioremediation, Dr. Robert E.
Menzer, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, National Center for
Environmental Research and Quality Assurance, 401 M Street, SW,
Washington, DC 20460, menzer.robert@epamail.epa.gov., phone (202) 260-
5779.
The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number for this
program is 81.049, and the solicitation control number is ERFAP 10
CFR Part 605.
Issued in Washington, DC, on November 13, 1996.
John Rodney Clark,
Associate Director for Resource Management, Office of Energy Research.
[FR Doc. 96-30016 Filed 11-22-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P
