WRI manipulates key conditions to initiate, facilitate and optimize microbial pathways to degrade a wide range of contaminants in soil and water. These methods include the following:

• Enhancing aerobic and anaerobic pathways to optimize biodegradation of wastes, including petroleum (PAHs), additives (MTBE), explosives (RDX), and chlorinated solvents (PCE, TCE).
• Selectively enhancing microbial populations for reductive dechlorination.
• Using petroleum contaminants (LNAPLs) and/or waste products as substrates to degrade chlorinated compounds (DNAPLs) in groundwater (combined dentrification and reductive dechlorination).
• Biological Source Treatment of acid mine drainage and bio-immobilization of metals.
• Using Microbial Fuel Cells to degrade petroleum and chlorinated contaminants.