JUNKO MUNAKATA MARR, Associate Professor
Education
- B.S., California Institute of Technology
- M.S., Ph.D., Stanford University
Research Interests
Biological degradation of organic compounds; microbial source tracking; microbial communities in natural and engineered soil, groundwater and treatment systems; application of molecular biology techniques to environmental systems.
The unifying theme for my research interests is microorganisms. Natural systems contain a plethora of bacteria and other microbes that have useful and sometimes surprising metabolic capabilities. For example, microorganisms can transform a multitude of organic compounds. By harnessing such metabolic activity, we can engineer systems to remove organic pollutants microbially. For example, stimulation of indigenous microorganisms can lead to biodegradation of such groundwater contaminants as petroleum hydrocarbons, aromatic compounds, and chlorinated solvents. In addition, microorganisms can produce useful metabolic products. Microbes may, for instance, generate methane from coal under specific conditions.
Microbial communities are inherently dynamic. Understanding and ultimately controlling these dynamics is important in many applications of environmental engineering microbiology. For example, in situ remediation may require years for sufficient biodegradation to occur; any change in microbial activity or populations during such extended contaminant exposure may have significant implications for the treatment effectiveness. By understanding the community dynamics during the treatment process, we may be better able to control the biodegradation achieved. We can apply molecular biology techniques to assess microbial communities in environmentally relevant systems ranging from groundwater bioremediation, centralized and on-site wastewater treatment systems, and to identify sources of microbial contamination.
Current research activities include evaluation of the compatibility of reductive dechlorination activity with polymers used for flow control, microbial communities associated with methane generation from coal, and the use of molecular biology techniques for microbial source tracking. I am also involved in an educational research project to integrate humanitarian engineering ethics into graduate engineering curricula.
Selected Publications and Presentations
P. Noophan, S. Sripiboon, M. Damrongsri and J. Munakata-Marr,“Ammonium and Nitrite Removal by Ammonium Oxidizing Bacteria under Anaerobic Conditions “, Journal of Environmental Management, 90:967-972 (2009).
M.M. Smith, J.A.K. Silva, J. Munakata-Marr and J.E. McCray, “Compatibility of Polymers and Chemical Oxidants for Enhanced Groundwater Remediation”, Environmental Science & Technology, 42(24): 9296-9301 (2008).
C. Wantawin, J. Juateea, P.L. Noophan and J. Munakata-Marr, “Autotrophic Nitrogen Removal in Sequencing Batch Biofilm Reactors at Different Oxygen Supply Modes”, Water Science and Technology: Water Supply, 58(10):1889-1894 (2008).
A. Kaplan, J. Munakata-Marr and T.H. Illangasekare, “Biodegradation of Residual Tetrachloroethene in DNAPL Source Zones: Effects on Mass Transfer”, Bioremediation Journal, 12(1):23-33 (2008).
K.C. Glover, J. Munakata-Marr, and T.H. Illangasekare, “Biologically Enhanced Mass Transfer of Tetrachloroethene from DNAPL in Source Zones: Experimental Evaluation and Influence of Pool Morphology”, Environmental Science & Technology, 41(4):1384-1389 (2007).
J.W. Sahl, J. Munakata-Marr, M.L. Crimi, R.L. Siegrist, “Coupling Permanganate Oxidation with Microbial Dechlorination of Tetrachloroethene”, Water Environment Research, 79(1):5-12 (2007).
J.W. Sahl and J. Munakata-Marr, “The Effects of In situ Chemical Oxidation on Microbiological Processes: A Review”, Remediation Journal 16(3):57-70 (2006).
P. Noophan, L.A. Figueroa and J. Munakata-Marr, “Nitrite Oxidation Inhibition by Hydroxylamine (Experimental and Model Evaluation)”, Water Science and Technology 50(6): 293-304 (2004).
C.A. Davis, T. Cort, D. Dai, T.H. Illangasekare and J. Munakata-Marr, “Effects of Heterogeneity and Experimental Scale on the Biodegradation of Diesel”, Biodegradation, 14:373-384 (2003).
J.M. Albert, J. Munakata-Marr, L. Tenorio and R.L. Siegrist, “Statistical Evaluation of Bacterial Source Tracking Data Obtained by rep-PCR DNA Fingerprinting of Escherichia coli”, Environmental Science & Technology, 37 (20):4554-4560 (2003).
K.L. Brungard, J. Munakata-Marr, C. Johnson and K.W. Mandernack, “Stable Carbon Isotope Fractionation of trans-1,2-Dichloroethylene by Methanotrophic Biodegradation”, Chemical Geology, 195 :59-67 (2003).
