The site
A large manufacturer of fencing posts and related products, with big areas of soil contaminated by hydrocarbons, principally creosote.
Under an EPA directive the company had already spent several years excavating the contaminated soil from its property and hauling it away as hazardous waste to a landfill in Canada. That is an expensive way to solve a problem that keeps recurring while the plant is still operating.
What we did
Over 500 cubic yards of creosote-contaminated soil were treated using a custom biodegradable surfactant blend to mobilise the heavy hydrocarbons, alongside two microbial blends chosen for hydrocarbon and phenolic degradation.
Creosote is not one compound. It is a mixture of hydrocarbon chains, which is why a single product rarely handles all of it. We often custom blend for that spread. In some cases it works better to start with one targeted strain or blend for a specific set of chains, then follow with a different blend for what is left.
The company was under no time pressure and chose the minimum recommended schedule. A more intensive programme would likely have taken it further.
Why we are showing you a 52 per cent reduction
Because it is what happened. This client had no deadline and applied the least we recommended, so the result reflects a minimum effort rather than what the approach can do when it is pushed. We would rather show you that than only show you the sites that ran perfectly.
What this does and does not show
It shows that creosote in soil responds to a surfactant and microbial approach on site, without excavation, and that it can be done while a plant keeps operating.
It does not show a finished remediation. 119 ppm is lower than 249 ppm and it is not a cleanup standard. Creosote is usually assessed on its polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon fractions rather than as a single number, and the criterion that applies depends on the state, the programme and the exposure pathway. That would be the first thing to establish on your site.
How the work was done. Delivered through our partnered Houston microbiology and genomics laboratory, which has run this class of work for more than thirty-five years. RAD Microbes LLC was founded in 2024. Creosote concentrations were measured before treatment and again after approximately two months.
Start with a discovery call
Every site is different, and a short conversation tells us far more than a sample does. Talk us through what you are dealing with and we will tell you honestly whether biology is the right answer for it. If it is not a fit, we will say so on the call.
Call +1 949 333 9072