40 feet BGS
Some CO₂ and CH₄ concentrations.
But no CO₂ mass flux, and low CH₄ mass flux.
Potential of some anaerobic biodegradation nearby.
See what is happening below the surface
Go beyond “Map contamination”.Measure biodegradation.Make better remediation decisions.
We add real-time measurement of oxygen, carbon dioxide and methane to membrane-interface-probe investigations. These additional measurements reveal the location, type and level of active biodegradation occurring underground.
- ContaminationWhere is it?
- Gas activityWhat’s happening?
- BiodegradationIs nature working?
- Better decisionsAct with confidence.
What the measurements give you
Find Active Zones
Locate where biodegradation is occurring.
Understand Processes
Identify aerobic or anaerobic conditions.
Improve Site Models
Add a dynamic biological layer to your data.
Better Decisions
Evaluate Natural Source Zone Depletion (NSZD) vs active remediation.
The Challenge
Delineation of the contamination in the subsurface tells only part of the story
Traditional investigations identify where contaminants are present. But vapor concentration alone doesn’t reveal if chemicals are degrading.
Because vapors migrate through soils of varying porosity and moisture, a detectable concentration may indicate presence without showing the source, preferential migration pathways or whether an active biodegradation process is occurring nearby.
Traditional Measurement
How much is here?
Measures vapor concentrations — is contaminant around here?
EcoRemediation Approach
How much biodegradation processes are active in the surrounding soil?
Measures gas concentrations and mass flux — how rapidly the surrounding formation is supplying these gases.
Patent Pending
The Technology
Adding the subsurface’s vital signs
Our technology enhances membrane-interface-probe (MIP) investigations by measuring three key gases in real time.
Oxygen, carbon dioxide and methane provide vital information about subsurface conditions and biodegradation activity.
What we measure
O₂ — Oxygen
Oxygen profiles contribute information about aerobic subsurface conditions and activity.
CO₂ — Carbon dioxide
CO₂ concentration and flux patterns can help locate zones where aerobic biodegradation may be taking place.
CH₄ — Methane
Methane concentration and mass flux can indicate zones associated with anaerobic biodegradation.
How It Works
From probe to insight in four simple steps
Probe the subsurface
A MIP probe is advanced through the soil to investigate different depths.
Gases cross the membrane
Compounds from the formation pass through the probe’s micro-porous membrane. Clean nitrogen sweeps the inside and carries them to the surface.
Gases are measured
Oxygen, carbon dioxide and methane are measured in real time along with contaminant vapors.
Activity is calculated
When the probe is stationary, we obtain gas concentrations and mass flux — how rapidly the surrounding formation is supplying the gas.
What You Gain
Find active biodegradation zones
Locate where natural processes are occurring.
Identify process type and intensity
Distinguish aerobic vs anaerobic activity and its strength.
Improve conceptual site models
Add a dynamic biological layer to physical and chemical data.
Compare remediation options
Evaluate Natural Source Zone Depletion (NSZD) with accurate data vs active remediation.
Save time and cost
Gain more insight from the same investigation with minimal additional cost.
Applications
Better information for better environmental decisions
- Preliminary Site Investigations
- Industrial & Brownfield Properties
- Petroleum-Contaminated Sites
- Chlorinated-Solvent Sites
- Natural Attenuation / NSZD Evaluations
- Conceptual Site Model Updates
- Remediation Strategy Selection
- DNA sampling
Results & Validation
Validated from permeation experiments to field demonstration
A concentration reading tells us that a compound has been detected. A mass-flux measurement provides a different kind of information: is the surrounding formation continually supplying that gas?
Laboratory permeation study
The permeation study of May 2025 tested oxygen, carbon dioxide and methane across the full 0–20.8 % range. Permeation rates for the three gases are similar, and the mass transfer through the membrane appears quite steady.
The membrane is sintered PTFE powder in a stainless-steel mesh. Transport through it follows a pore-flow model driven by a pressure gradient, so the flux through the membrane is proportional to the gas-phase pressure outside it.
- O₂
- CO₂
- CH₄
Estimate of gas concentrations beside the MIP
Typical readings with a MIP for gas
With the MIP, gas mass flux are estimated
- When mass flux is lower than permeation rate, readings will decrease within a minute.
- When mass flux is higher than permeation rate, readings stay steady.
An innovative approach to optimize information from one mobilisation
(Examples of readings obtained during a field demonstration: Location B)
42 feet BGS
Some CO₂ and no mass flux.
But high CH₄ concentrations and mass flux.
High anaerobic biodegradation beside membrane.
Add a dynamic biological layer to your data
- Gas concentration and mass flux measurement “in-real time” reveal active biodegradation zones.
- This enhancement requires minimal additional cost.
- Addresses subsurface heterogeneity.
- When performing DNA sampling, avoid “Low-Abundance Organisms Samples”.
Integrate gas analysis during preliminary HRSC.
Innovation
Presence is not the same as activity
A gas can be present without an active process nearby.
Vapours are not gases
Since the mid-1990s, membrane-interface probes have been used to locate contamination by analysing vapours. The equipment has focused on vapours alone since its inception.
The behaviour of the two is markedly distinct, particularly in how they migrate through soils of varying porosity. Adding gas detectors to an instrument built for vapours is what makes biodegradation visible.
- Vapour
A substance that exists in a liquid state at standard temperature and pressure.
Benzene, trichloroethylene, water
- Gas
A substance that exists in a gaseous state at standard temperature and pressure.
Oxygen, methane, carbon dioxide
What was added
Three detectors were integrated so the gases in the instrument’s effluent could be analysed alongside the contaminant vapours.
- 01One electrochemical detector for oxygen
- 02One infrared detector for methane
- 03One infrared detector for carbon dioxide
Together they give real-time, semi-quantitative assessments of gas concentrations in the formation beside the probe.
- How much is here?
- Concentration tells you how much gas is present.
- How much biodegradation processes are active in the surrounding soil?
- Mass flux tells you how rapidly the surrounding formation is supplying that gas.
Go beyond concentration
Determine whether gases are simply present or actively being supplied by the surrounding formation.
Locate active zones
Identify where biodegradation appears to be occurring, not simply where contamination has been detected.
Improve the Conceptual Site Model
Add a dynamic biological layer to the contaminant distribution.
Minimal incremental cost
The innovation can be incorporated into a preliminary investigation without significant additional cost.
About EcoRemediation
More information from the same investigation and the same mobilization
EcoRemediation Inc. is an environmental consulting business based in Montreal, Quebec, led by Andre Tartre.
The practice adds real-time measurement of oxygen, carbon dioxide and methane to membrane-interface-probe investigations. These additional measurements reveal the location, type and level of active biodegradation occurring underground.
The approach is designed to add information to a conventional preliminary site investigation rather than to create an entirely separate investigation program — during a preliminary investigation across the whole site, or during an update of the Conceptual Site Model, on the same mobilization.
Conventional site investigation shows where contamination is. This technology adds information about what is actually happening there, whether natural biodegradation is active, where it is active, and how strongly it is occurring.
Andre Tartre
Founder, EcoRemediation Inc.
Understand What Is Happening Beneath Your Site
Add real-time gas and biodegradation assessment to your next site-characterization program.
Contact Us
Talk to us about your site
Have a contaminated site under investigation? Write to us about adding real-time gas and biodegradation assessment to your next site-characterization program.
Write to
Useful things to include
- What stage the investigation has reached;
- Contaminants of concern, if known, volume;
- If an active remediation plan has already been applied to the site.