1,1,2,2-Tetrachloroethane aerobic cometabolic biodegradation in slurry and soil-free bioreactors: A kinetic study

In this work the aerobic cometabolic biodegradation of 1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethane (TeCA) by propane-utilizing bacteria was studied in slurry bioreactors containing soil and groundwater from 5 aquifers as well as in soil-free bioreactors. The main goals were: (a) to identify and calibrate a kinetic mo...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Biochemical engineering journal 2010-10, Vol.52 (1), p.55-64
Main Authors: Frascari, Dario, Cappelletti, Martina, Fedi, Stefano, Zannoni, Davide, Nocentini, Massimo, Pinelli, Davide
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aerobic cometabolism
Biological and medical sciences
Bioreactor
Bioreactors
Bioremediation
Biotechnology
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Kinetic model
Methods. Procedures. Technologies
Tetrachloroethane
Various methods and equipments
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Summary:In this work the aerobic cometabolic biodegradation of 1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethane (TeCA) by propane-utilizing bacteria was studied in slurry bioreactors containing soil and groundwater from 5 aquifers as well as in soil-free bioreactors. The main goals were: (a) to identify and calibrate a kinetic model of TeCA cometabolism; (b) to select and characterize a TeCA-degrading bacterial consortium; (c) to compare the results obtained in slurry and in soil-free bioreactors. The results showed that 4 of the 5 tested aquifers contain TeCA-degrading bacteria, indicating that aerobic cometabolism is a potentially effective approach for TeCA-contaminated aquifers. In bioaugmentation tests, a TeCA-cometabolizing consortium developed in the slurry bioreactors induced a strong reduction of the lag-time for the onset of TeCA cometabolism. The soil-free tests yielded a satisfactory TeCA degradation performance, indicating that on-site soil-free bioreactors represent an interesting technical solution for the aerobic cometabolic bioremediation of CAH-contaminated groundwaters. The mineralization of the organic Cl was equal to about 97%. The prolonged TeCA biodegradation determined a progressive selection of the bacterial strains more effective in TeCA degradation and less affected by degradation product toxicity. The tested Michaelis–Menten-based kinetic model proved an effective tool to interpret the experimental data of TeCA aerobic cometabolism.
ISSN:1369-703X
1873-295X
DOI:10.1016/j.bej.2010.07.004