Biotransformation of Trichloroethylene by a Phenol-Induced Mixed Culture

• Published in: Journal of environmental engineering (New York, N.Y.) Vol. 122; no. 7; pp. 581 - 589
• Main Authors: Shurtliff, Mathew M, Parkin, Gene F, Weathers, Lenly J, Gibson, David T
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Reston, VA American Society of Civil Engineers 01.07.1996
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Biodegradation of pollutants; Biological and medical sciences; Biological and physicochemical phenomena; Biotechnology; Environment and pollution; Exact sciences and technology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Industrial applications and implications. Economical aspects; Natural water pollution; Pollution; TECHNICAL PAPERS; Water treatment and pollution; Biodegradation; Pollutant; Concentration effect; Bacteria; Water pollution; Kinetics; Ethylene(trichloro)
• ISSN: 0733-9372; 1943-7870
• DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9372(1996)122:7(581)

Biodegradation of trichloroethylene (TCE) was studied using a mixed culture of aerobic, phenol-induced organisms. Abiotic experiments showed that sorption of TCE to biomass was negligible in the systems studied. The effects of influent phenol and TCE concentration on the TCE degradation capacity of the culture were studied using chemostats. A relationship exists between the influent phenol TCE ratio and TCE biodegradation. TCE transformation yields ranged from 0.052 to 0.222 mg TCE removed mg phenol removed. Monod kinetic coefficients for phenol degradation were determined. Monod kinetic coefficients were also determined for TCE biotransformation by resting cells. The concept of transformation capacity was used to model the decrease in active biomass concentration caused by TCE transformation. In mineralization studies using 14 C-labeled TCE, 22% of the degraded mass of TCE was transformed to carbon dioxide, 8.8% was incorporated into biomass, 42% was transformed to nonvolatile products, with the remaining, unrecovered 27% most likely transformed into volatile or semivolatile products.