The bioremediation expert, Kent comes to class.

Kent Armstrong
Picture from Kent's Twitter

In class on Monday, January 25th Kent Armstrong came to the campus of Proctor Academy in little Andover NH to talk with our D block APES class. Kent is a environmental manager and is a Bioremediation specialist. Kent works for a company named, BioStryke, which deals with toxic and contaminated areas by cleaning them up or contain them using bioremediation.



Before Kent is able to treat a site he must think, what will happen to the public health, what could be potentially effected and the environmental risks. After Kent has to give the client a price, an estimate of what it will cost. But here is the thing, the client can save money by using Kent and his bioremediation process if he has the time to wait. If he does not have the time to wait the client must think about more expensive but quicker methods such as soil washing, inorganic chemical stabilization, disposal in a land fill or incineration.


When Kent is hired and arrives at a site, he has a process and an order of which to follow.

• First he and his team evaluate. By evaluating they are looking into the history of the site, the previous testings of the site, and they will start to take mall site samples. 
• Second Kent and his team will survey and map. Surveying and mapping allow Kent to then create a flow rate for the contaminants and bare samples, and have locations for these samples.
• Thirdly we have Kent's specialty. The Bioremediation. The process of bioremediation is as follows, with the ability of drilling Kent injects the contaminated area with "food". This "food" consists of things like carbohydrates and sugars. Kent adds biostimulants to enhance the bioremediation process. ("Bioremediation is a technique for waste management that involves the use of organisms, the bugs, to remove or neutralize the chemicals from contaminated sites.) 

*Below shows a comprehendible picture of bioremediation*

picture by: science.halleyhosting.com

You may ask yourself like I did, does bioremediation actually work? The answer in yes. Kent and his team at BioStryke have proof. That after 15 years a previously contaminated site of theirs was tested with no remaining results of any contaminants. As Kent said, "There may be a couple of yellow tennis balls left (meaning toxic material) but such a small amount that the sampling has not picked up any traces." If you have the time to wait and the money to do so, your safest bet is to use our friend Kent and his company BioStryke to clean up all of your toxic messes. 

By having Kent come visit and talk to our class I have a greater understanding of not only bioremediation, but other ways of going about cleaning up toxic land areas. While the luxury of having the class discussion on youtube to watch after Kent had come to class is great, I do wish I had gotten the chance to meet with him and person and ask a couple of clarifying questions about a topic or just ask some more questions about his life and how he got top where he is. There was not only a lot to what Kent had to say but a lot of meaning, even if he did go off onto little tangents. The effect that Kent has on these areas with little hope is amazing. It gives me hope that one day I can do my part in helping the planet we all share and live on together, Earth.

To some this information may be advanced or too much, so if there is one thing I want you to take away from this blog is that Kent and BioStryke are doing amazing things to help our environment and they are doing their part in "Helping mother nature out with the overflow of substances that she can not keep up with herself."

Lets now do our part to never need need BioStryke and to never see this.

Picture by: BioStryke