BioTrap Samplers
Microbial Insights
A passive approach to microbial sampling
Bio-Trap samplers are passive sampling tools that collect microbes over time for the purpose of better understanding biodegradation potential. The key to the Bio-Trap approach is a unique sampling matrix, Bio-Sep beads, developed in collaboration with the University of Tulsa and the University of Tennessee. The beads are 2-4 mm in diameter and are an engineered composite of Nomex and powdered activated carbon (PAC). When a Bio-Trap® sampler is deployed in a monitoring well, the Bio-Sep beads absorb contaminants and nutrients present in the aquifer essentially becoming an in situ microcosm with an incredibly large surface area (~600 m2/g) which is readily colonized by subsurface microorganisms. Once recovered from a monitoring well (30-60 days after deployment), DNA, RNA, or phospholipid fatty acids (PLFA) can be extracted from the beads for CENSUS or PLFA assays to evaluate the microbial community.
