Effects of bioaugmentation on enhanced reductive dechlorination of 1,1,1-trichloroethane in groundwater: a comparison of three sites.

Microcosm studies investigated the effects of bioaugmentation with a mixed Dehalococcoides (Dhc)/Dehalobacter (Dhb) culture on biological enhanced reductive dechlorination for treatment of 1,1,1-trichloroethane (TCA) and chloroethenes in groundwater at three Danish sites. Microcosms were amended with lactate as electron donor and monitored over 600 days. Experimental variables included bioaugmentation, TCA concentration, and presence/absence of chloroethenes. Bioaugmented microcosms received a mixture of the Dhc culture KB-1 and Dhb culture ACT-3. To investigate effects of substrate concentration, microcosms were amended with various concentrations of chloroethanes (TCA or monochloroethane [CA]) and/or chloroethenes (tetrachloroethene [PCE], trichloroethene [TCE], or 1,1-dichloroethene [1,1-DCE]). Results showed that combined electron donor addition and bioaugmentation stimulated dechlorination of TCA and 1,1-dichloroethane (1,1-DCA) to CA, and dechlorination of PCE, TCE, 1,1-DCE and cDCE to ethane. Dechlorination of CA was not observed. Bioaugmentation improved the rate and extent of TCA and 1,1-DCA dechlorination at two sites, but did not accelerate dechlorination at a third site where geochemical conditions were reducing and Dhc and Dhb were indigenous. TCA at initial concentrations of 5 mg/L inhibited (i.e., slowed the rate of) TCA dechlorination, TCE dechlorination, donor fermentation, and methanogenesis. 1 mg/L TCA did not inhibit dechlorination of TCA, TCE or cDCE. Moreover, complete dechlorination of PCE to ethene was observed in the presence of 3.2 mg/L TCA. In contrast to some prior reports, these studies indicate that low part-per million levels of TCA (< 3 mg/L) in aquifer systems do not inhibit dechlorination of PCE or TCE to ethene. In addition, the results show that co-bioaugmentation with Dhc and Dhb cultures can be an effective strategy for accelerating treatment of chloroethane/chloroethene mixtures in groundwater, with the exception that all currently known Dhc and Dhb cultures cannot treat CA.

Natural Biodegradation of Vinyl Chloride and cis-Dichloroethene in Aerobic and Suboxic Conditions.

Chlorinated ethene (CE) groundwater contamination is commonly treated through anaerobic biodegradation (i.e., reductive dechlorination) either as part of an engineered system or through natural attenuation. Aerobic biodegradation has also been recognized as a potentially significant pathway for the removal of the lower CEs cis-1,2-dichloroethene (cDCE) and vinyl chloride (VC). However, the role of aerobic biodegradation under low oxygen conditions typical of contaminated groundwater is unclear. Bacteria capable of aerobic VC biodegradation appear to be common in the environment, while aerobic biodegradation of cDCE is less common and little is known regarding the organisms responsible. In this study, we investigate the role of aerobic cDCE and VC biodegradation in a mixed contaminant plume (including CEs, BTEX, and ketones) at Naval Air Station North Island, Installation Restoration Site 9. Sediment and groundwater collected from the plume source area, mid-plume, and shoreline were used to prepare microcosms under fully aerobic (8 mg/L dissolved oxygen (DO)) and suboxic (< 1 mg/L DO) conditions. In the shoreline microcosms, VC and cDCE were rapidly degraded under suboxic conditions (100% and 77% removal in < 62 days). In the suboxic VC microcosms, biodegradation was associated with a > 5 order of magnitude increase in the abundance of functional gene etnE, part of the aerobic VC utilization pathway. VC and cDCE were degraded more slowly under fully aerobic conditions (74% and 30% removal) in 110 days. High-throughput 16S rRNA and etnE sequencing suggest the presence of novel VC- and cDCE-degrading bacteria. These results suggest that natural aerobic biodegradation of cDCE and VC is occurring at the site and provide new evidence that low (< 1 mg/L) DO levels play a significant role in natural attenuation of cDCE and VC.

Solubility and reactivity of surfactant-enhanced alkaline hydrolysis of organophosphorus pesticide DNAPL.

The study presented in this paper evaluated the effectiveness of surfactants in enhancing mass removal of organophosphorus pesticides (OPPs) from soil under highly alkaline conditions and potential for enhancing in situ alkaline hydrolysis for treatment of OPPs, particularly parathion (EP3) and methyl parathion (MP3). In control and surfactant experiments, hydrolysis products EP2 acid, MP2 acid, and PNP were formed in non-stoichiometric amounts indicating instability of these compounds. MP3 and malathion were found to have faster hydrolysis rates than EP3 under the conditions studied. All surfactants evaluated increased solubility of OPPs under alkaline conditions with four nonionic alcohol ethoxylate products providing the greater affect over the polyglucosides, sulfonate, and propionate surfactants evaluated. The alcohol ethoxylates were shown to provide substantial mass removal of OPPs from soil. Hydrolysis rates were typically slower in the presence of surfactant, despite the relatively higher aqueous concentrations of OPPs; this was likely due to micellar solubilization of the OPPs which were therefore less accessible for hydrolysis. The results of this study support the use of surfactants for contaminant mass removal from soil, particularly under alkaline conditions, and may have implications for use of some surfactants in combination with other technologies for treatment of OPPs.

Sequential biodegradation of 1,2,4-trichlorobenzene at oxic-anoxic groundwater interfaces in model laboratory columns.

Halogenated organic solvents such as chlorobenzenes (CBs) are frequent groundwater contaminants due to legacy spills. When contaminated anaerobic groundwater discharges into surface water through wetlands and other transition zones, aeration can occur from various physical and biological processes at shallow depths, resulting in oxic-anoxic interfaces (OAIs). This study investigated the potential for 1,2,4-trichlorobenzene (1,2,4-TCB) biodegradation at OAIs. A novel upflow column system was developed to create stable anaerobic and aerobic zones, simulating a natural groundwater OAI. Two columns containing (1) sand and (2) a mixture of wetland sediment and sand were operated continuously for 295 days with varied doses of 0.14-1.4 mM sodium lactate (NaLac) as a model electron donor. Both column matrices supported anaerobic reductive dechlorination and aerobic degradation of 1,2,4-TCB spatially separated between anaerobic and aerobic zones. Reductive dechlorination produced a mixture of di- and monochlorobenzene daughter products, with estimated zero-order dechlorination rates up to 31.3 µM/h. Aerobic CB degradation, limited by available dissolved oxygen, occurred for 1,2,4-TCB and all dechlorinated daughter products. Initial reductive dechlorination did not enhance the overall observed extent or rate of subsequent aerobic CB degradation. Increasing NaLac dose increased the extent of reductive dechlorination, but suppressed aerobic CB degradation at 1.4 mM NaLac due to increased oxygen demand. 16S-rRNA sequencing of biofilm microbial communities revealed strong stratification of functional anaerobic and aerobic organisms between redox zones including the sole putative reductive dechlorinator detected in the columns, Dehalobacter. The sediment mixture column supported enhanced reductive dechlorination compared to the sand column at all tested NaLac doses and growth of Dehalobacter populations up to 4.1 × 108 copies/g (51% relative abundance), highlighting the potential benefit of sediments in reductive dechlorination processes. Results from these model systems suggest both substantial anaerobic and aerobic CB degradation can co-occur along the OAI at contaminated sites where bioavailable electron donors and oxygen are both present.

The influence of cosolvent and heat on the solubility and reactivity of organophosphorous pesticide DNAPL alkaline hydrolysis.

The presented research concerned the compatibility of cosolvents with in situ alkaline hydrolysis (ISAH) for treatment of organophosphorous (OPP) pesticide contaminated sites. In addition, the influence of moderate temperature heat increments was studied as a possible enhancement method. A complex dense non-aqueous phase liquid (DNAPL) of primarily parathion (~50 %) and methyl parathion (~15 %) obtained from the Danish Groyne 42 site was used as a contaminant source, and ethanol and propan-2-ol (0, 25, and 50 v/v%) was used as cosolvents in tap water and 0.34 M NaOH. Both cosolvents showed OPP solubility enhancement at 50 v/v% cosolvent content, with slightly higher OPP concentrations reached with propan-2-ol. Data on hydrolysis products did not show a clear trend with respect to alkaline hydrolysis reactivity in the presence of cosolvents. Results indicated that the hydrolysis rate of methyl-parathion (MP3) decreased with addition of cosolvent, whereas the hydrolysis rate of ethyl-parathion (EP3) remained constant, and overall indications were that the hydrolysis reactions were limited by the rate of hydrolysis rather than NAPL dissolution. In addition to cosolvents, the influence of low-temperature heating on ISAH was studied. Increasing reaction temperature from 10 to 30 °C provided an average rate of hydrolysis enhancement by a factor of 1.4-4.8 dependent on the base of calculation. When combining 50 v/v% cosolvent addition and heating to 30 °C, EP3 solubility was significantly enhanced and results for O,O-diethyl-thiophosphoric acid (EP2 acid) showed a significant enhancement of hydrolysis as well. However, this could not be supported by para-nitrophenol (PNP) data indicating the instability of this product in the presence of cosolvent.

Natural and enhanced anaerobic degradation of 1,1,1-trichloroethane and its degradation products in the subsurface--a critical review.

1,1,1-Trichloroethane (TCA) in groundwater is susceptible to a variety of natural degradation mechanisms. Evidence of intrinsic decay of TCA in aquifers is commonly observed; however, TCA remains a persistent pollutant at many sites and some of the daughter products that accumulate from intrinsic decay of TCA have been determined to be more toxic than the parent compound. Research advances from the past decade indicate that in situ enhanced reductive dechlorination (ERD) offers promise as a cost-effective solution toward the cleanup of groundwater contaminated with TCA and its transformation daughter products. Laboratory studies have demonstrated that pure or mixed cultures containing certain Dehalobacter (Dhb) bacteria can catalyze respiratory dechlorination of TCA and 1,1-dichloroethane (1,1-DCA) to monochloroethane (CA) in groundwater systems. 16S rRNA Dhb gene probes have been used as biomarkers in groundwater samples to both assess ERD potential and quantify growth of Dhb in ERD applications at TCA sites. Laboratory findings suggest that iron-bearing minerals and methanogenic bacteria that co-occur in reduced aquifers may synergistically affect dechlorination of TCA. Despite these advances, a number of significant challenges remain, including an inability of any known cultures to completely dechlorinate TCA to ethane. CA is commonly observed as a terminal product of the biological reductive dechlorination of TCA and 1,1-DCA. Also important is the lack of rigorous field studies demonstrating the utility of bioaugmentation with Dhb cultures for remediation of TCA in the field. In this paper we review the state-of-the-science of TCA degradation in aquifers, examining results from both laboratory experiments and twenty-two field case studies, focusing on the capabilities and limits of ERD technology, and identifying aspects of the technology that warrant further development.

Field evaluation of biological enhanced reductive dechlorination of chloroethenes in clayey till.

The performance of enhanced reductive dechlorination (ERD) for in situ remediation of cis-1,2-dichloroethene (cDCE) and vinyl chloride in clayey till was investigated in a pilot test. A dilute groundwater solution containing emulsified soybean oil and Dehalococcoides bacteria was injected into a sand-filled hydraulic fracture. Fermentation of the ERD solution caused the establishment of a dechlorinating bioactive zone in the fracture within 1 month of injection. By 148 days, all the cDCE in the fracture was dechlorinated to ethene. Analysis of a clay core from Day 150 indicated that electron donor and fermentation products diffused from the fracture at least 10 cm into clay and that stimulated dechlorination occurred in the clay in the presence of Dehalococcoides (7.9.10(4) cells g(-1)). Comparison of chloroethene profiles in the Day 150 core to modeled diffusion profiles indicated degradation occurred in a bioactive zone extending approximately 5 to 6 cm into the clay matrix. These data suggest that a bioactive zone established in a sand-filled fracture can expand into the adjacent clayey till matrix and facilitate mass transfer from the matrix to the bioactive zone. These findings offer promise for ERD and support further development of methods for deploying ERD in clayey till and other low-permeability deposits.

Concurrent ethene generation and growth of Dehalococcoides containing vinyl chloride reductive dehalogenase genes during an enhanced reductive dechlorination field demonstration.

Dehalococcoides bacteria that produce catabolic vinyl chloride (VC) reductive dehalogenase enzymes have been implicated as a requirement for successful biological dechlorination of VC to ethene in groundwater systems. Therefore, the functional genes in Dehalococcoides that produce VC reductase (e.g., vcrA) may be important biomarkers for predicting and monitoring the performance of bioremediation systems treating chloroethenes via enhanced reductive dechlorination (ERD). As part of an ERD field demonstration, 45 groundwater samples were analyzed for vcrA using quantitative PCR. The demonstration delivered lactate continuously via groundwater recirculation over 201 days to an aquifer contaminated with cis-1,2-dichloroethene (cDCE, approximately 150 microM) and VC (approximately 80 microM). Ethene (approximately 4 microM) and Dehalococcoides containing vcrA (average concentration of 4 x 10(3) gene copies L(-1)) were detected a priori in the demonstration plot; however, aquifer materials in a bench treatability test were able to dechlorinate cDCE with only a 4-month lag period. Given the short (7-month) schedule for the field demonstration, the field plot was bioaugmented on Day 69 with a mixed culture (KB-1) that included Dehalococcoides containing vcrA. Stimulated ethene generation commenced within four weeks of donor addition. Ethene concentrations increased until Day 145, and reached maximum concentrations of 10-25 microM. Concentrations of vcrA increased concurrently with ethene production until Day 145, and plateaued thereafter at 10(7) to 10(8) gene copies L(-1). These results indicate simultaneous growth of Dehalococcoides containing vcrA and ethene generation in an ERD field application. The quantitative increase in concentrations of Dehalococcoides containing vcrA at this site provides further evidence that the vcrA gene is an effective biomarker for field-scale ERD systems.