Patent ID: 8772014

Claim:
A method comprising the steps of: feeding a contaminated brine solution comprising a monovalent alkali metal salt and having a monovalent alkali metal salt salinity greater than or equal to about 3% to a biological reactor containing a mixed bacterial culture capable of degrading at least one contaminant under anoxic/anaerobic conditions; adding an effective amount of a divalent cation precursor to the reactor, where the effective amount of the divalent precursor is sufficient to maintain a divalent to monovalent cation mole ratio at a numeric value greater than or equal to about 0.05 and to form a medium capable of supporting a stable population of the bacterial culture, and degrading the contaminant in the contaminated brine solution for a time and at a temperature sufficient to reduce a concentration of the contaminant at or below a desired concentration while maintaining a suitable nutrient environment in the reactor and while maintaining the divalent to monovalent cation mole ratio greater than or equal to about 0.05.