Jaana Pietari, Ph.D.

Dr. Pietari’s expertise is in the fate and biological treatment of chlorinated compounds including tetrachloroethene (PCE) and pentachlorophenol (PCP), the analytical chemistry of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and biological water and wastewater treatment. She has more than 10 years of experience conducting environmental engineering and science research in academic and regulatory settings, in addition to environmental consulting experience.

Dr. Pietari has conducted a pilot plant study on the applicability of biological activated carbon (BAC) filtration to improve quality of drinking water from cold surface waters. Further, she has investigated reductive dechlorination of PCE at low temperature, employing molecular biology tools in combination with analytical chemical techniques, to better understand the changes in a microbial community during initial phases of PCE dechlorination. She has also characterized an enzyme that is the bottleneck in aerobic PCP degradation pathway, and determined the underlying reasons based on the PCP degradation kinetics. Most recently, she planned and conducted an inter-laboratory comparison project on mass spectrometric analytical techniques for measuring PCB congeners in sediment samples, and developed standard operating procedures for the analysis of PCB congeners.

Dr. Pietari has also experience preparing sampling and analysis plans for sediment remediation projects, developing risk-based cleanup levels for a complex industrial contaminated site, and providing general technical and litigation support.

Gu AZ, Stensel HD, Pietari JMH, Strand SE. Vinyl bromide as a surrogate for determining vinyl chloride reductive dechlorination potential. Environ Sci Technol 2003; 37:4410–4416.

Ferguson JF, Pietari JMH. Anaerobic transformations and bioremediation of chlorinated solvents. Environ Pollut 2000; 107:209–215.

Presentations

Pietari J, Whipple W. Interlaboratory comparison of performance based methods for PCB congener analysis from sediments. Oral presentation, US EPA Laboratory Technical Information Group Meeting Denver, CO, April 7–11, 2008.

Pietari J, Whipple W. PCB method development work in Region 5. Poster presentation, US EPA Laboratory Technical Information Group Meeting, Chicago, IL, May 1–3, 2007.

Pietari JMH, Herwig RP, Ferguson JF. Enrichment and characterization of PCE or cDCE dechlorinating microcosms with T-RFLP and PCR. Poster presentation, Superfund Basic Research Program Annual Meeting, Tucson, AZ, November 3-6, 2002.

Pietari JMH, Herwig RP, Ferguson JF. Characterization of a microaerophilic and psychrotrophic tetrachloroethene to cis-1,2-dichloroethene dechlorinating bacterium, strain JPD-1. Poster presentation, 102nd General meeting, American Society for Microbiology, Salt Lake City, UT, May 19–23.

Pietari JMH, Herwig RP, Ferguson JF. Characterization of tetrachloroethene (PCE) and cis-1,2-dichloroethene (cDCE) dechlorinating cultures with terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) analysis. Poster presentation, 6th International Symposium, In Situ and On-Site Bioremediation, San Diego, CA, June 4–7, 2001.

Vuoriranta P, Pietari J, Soini S, Salkinoja-Salonen M, Puhakka J. Biological activated carbon filtration of drinking water: Effects of ozonation and temperature on NOM removal. Poster presentation, 4th International Symposium on Environmental Biotechnology, Noordwijkerhout, the Netherlands, April 10–12, 2000.

Pietari JMH, Herwig RP, McLarnan JL, Ferguson JF. Characterization of an anaerobic PCE or TCE to cis-1,2-DCE dechlorinating psychrotrophic enrichment. Poster presentation, 99th General Meeting, American Society for Microbiology, Chicago, IL, May 30–June 3, 1999.

Pietari JMH, Ferguson JF. Characterization of a psychrotrophic TCE dechlorinating culture and comparison with a mesophilic culture. Oral presentation, 5th International Symposium, In Situ and On-Site Bioremediation, San Diego, CA, April 19–22, 1999.

• Chemist Postdoctoral Fellow, U.S. EPA Region 5, 2007–2008
• Research Scientist, CIRES, University of Colorado, 2005–2006
• Project Scientist, Floyd Snider Inc., 2002–2003
  

Managed and conducted an inter-laboratory comparison study on analytical methods using mass spectrometry for PCB congener analysis. The goal of the study was to provide new analytical tools that would be cost effective and appropriate given individual project objectives. Further, developed analytical methods for PCB congener analysis using gas chromatography and low-resolution mass spectrometry using different ionization methods.

Evaluated contamination with pesticide Dinoseb in a former Superfund site. Investigated nature and extent of contamination. Designed and supervised a creation of a database containing chemical analysis results that were obtained by various entities.

Performed risk assessment for determination of cleanup levels for upland areas for a complex industrial site with groundwater discharge to a waterway. In addition, critically reviewed equations for risk-based cleanup values to aid in negotiation of clean-up levels.

Prepared a sampling and a chemical analysis plan for a sediment sampling event for a client in Portland Harbor. The client’s objective was to obtain preliminary data on the sediment quality in support of sediment cleanup decisions. Coordinated with the analytical laboratory for the analysis of the samples, validated the data, and prepared a final report for the sampling event.

For Portland Harbor client, prepared a regulatory trend analysis report for strategic planning for sediment cleanup. The client’s objective was to analyze how Portland Harbor’s Superfund listing would impact their sediment cleanup efforts and maintenance dredging plans.

• American Chemical Society
• Water Environment Federation
• Pacific Northwest Clean Water Association