Field notes
Soil restoration, explained plainly.
Articles on how biology works on contaminated soil, written for officials, consultants and landowners. Sources are numbered and linked at the end of each one.
- October 1, 2026Contaminated Site ReportsAfter the Fire: What Happens to Soil After a WildfireHow wildfire changes soil: water-repellent layers, runoff and erosion, lost organic matter, and microbial recovery over one to four years.
- October 1, 2026How a Bioremediation Project WorksBioremediation vs. Dig-and-Haul: Cost, Timeline, Disruption, and LimitsA sourced comparison of excavating contaminated soil and treating it with biology: published costs, timelines, disruption, limits, and when each fits.
- October 1, 2026Soil BioremediationBiostimulation vs. Bioaugmentation: What's the Difference and When Does Each Work?Biostimulation feeds the microbes already in soil, while bioaugmentation adds new ones. Four published studies show when each approach has worked and why.
- October 1, 2026Contaminated Site ReportsBrownfield Cleanup and Bioremediation: Where Biology Fits in the ProcessWhere bioremediation enters the brownfield process, which sites suit it, which do not, and what municipal officials should check before choosing it.
- October 1, 2026Organic Contaminants in SoilDioxins and Furans in Soil, ExplainedDioxins and furans form when chlorinated material burns. What a TEQ means, why two dioxin numbers can differ, and what biology has been shown to do.
- October 1, 2026Contaminated Site ReportsEast Palestine: What Was in the Soil, What Has Been Tested, and What We KnowA primary-source guide to soil testing after the 2023 East Palestine, Ohio derailment: who tested what, what each reported, and how to read the data.
- October 1, 2026Heavy Metals in SoilHeavy Metals in Soil: What Microbes Can and Can't DoMicrobes can change a metal's form, bind it, leach it or help plants take it up, though none can destroy it, and the research on each route has clear limits.
- October 1, 2026How a Bioremediation Project WorksHow Long Does Soil Bioremediation Take? What Real Projects ShowFederal agencies say months to several years. Seven published studies range from 25 days to over four years. What sets the clock and what to ask a vendor.
- October 1, 2026How a Bioremediation Project WorksHow to Evaluate a Bioremediation Proposal: 12 Questions to AskTwelve questions officials, landowners, and consultants can put to any bioremediation proposal, with the federal guidance and studies behind each.
- October 1, 2026Heavy Metals in SoilLead in Soil: Remediation Options and Where Biology FitsSince microbes do not remove lead, this guide covers the documented options for lead in soil, EPA's current screening level, and where soil biology supports the plan.
- October 1, 2026The Microbes That Clean SoilMicrobes That Eat Oil: How Hydrocarbon-Degrading Bacteria Work in SoilWhich soil bacteria break down diesel and crude oil, how they do it, what field studies show, and what slows them down on land, where most coverage looks only at marine spills.
- October 1, 2026Soil BioremediationNatural Soil Remediation: Can Contaminated Soil Be Cleaned Without Chemicals?Biology can break down fuels, solvents and some pesticides in soil, though it cannot destroy metals and takes months to years, so natural methods fit some sites better than others.
- October 1, 2026Organic Contaminants in SoilPAHs Explained: Where They Come From and How Microbes Break Them DownPAHs form when carbon-based material burns incompletely. Where they come from, how they behave in soil, and what research shows microbes can do.
- October 1, 2026The Microbes That Clean SoilPseudomonas in Soil Remediation: What the Research ShowsPseudomonas species are studied for diesel, solvents, and pesticides. What each study measured, how strong the evidence is, and why strain matters.
- October 1, 2026The Research DeskStudy Breakdown: Which Microbes Bloomed in Gulf Beach Sands After Deepwater HorizonA 2011 study of oiled Pensacola Beach sand found oil-degrading bacteria, a tenfold rise in bacterial gene counts, and Alcanivorax leading the response.
- October 1, 2026The Research DeskStudy Breakdown: A White-Rot Fungus (Pleurotus pulmonarius) and PCDD/F-Contaminated Field SoilA 2020 study reported 96% PCDD/F removal from industrial soil by a white-rot fungus in 72 days. What it found, how strong it is, and what it does not show.
- October 1, 2026Organic Contaminants in SoilVinyl Chloride in Soil and Groundwater: How It Behaves and How Microbes Break It DownVinyl chloride evaporates near the surface and can persist in groundwater. How it behaves, and the two microbial routes documented to break it down.
- October 1, 2026How a Bioremediation Project WorksWhich Contaminants Can Microbes Break Down? A Fit ChartA plain-English chart of nine contaminant families, from fuels to PFAS to metals: which ones soil microbes can break down, and the evidence for each.
- October 1, 2026The Microbes That Clean SoilWhite-Rot Fungi in Soil Remediation: What the Research ShowsWhite-rot fungi use wood-rotting enzymes on PAHs and dioxins. What a 2020 dioxin soil study showed, what it did not, and how far the evidence goes.
- October 1, 2026Contaminated Site ReportsWildfire Ash and Metals: What the Eaton and Palisades Soil Testing FoundWhat LA County, EPA, Duke researchers and Hawaii's health department reported on metals in ash and soil after the Eaton, Palisades and Lahaina fires.
Reading up before a decision on a site?
Questions are easier to answer with the site in front of us.