Potential Waste Minimization of Trichloroethylene and Perchloroethylene Via Aerobic Biodegradation

Trichloroethylene (TCE) and perchloroethylene (PCE) are two of the most frequently detected chlorinated organics found in groundwater. Biodegradation with a new aerobic consortium was used to ascertain the viability of bioremediation for waste minimization applications. After 1 week of treatment, the degradation rate constants, k, were between 0.004 and 0.012 d^{− 1} for initial concentrations of 54–664 μM TCE. When PCE was used as the sole contaminant, the k values were approximately 0.01 d⁻¹ regardless of the initial concentration. The addition of 0.2 μ M toluene or phenol as an inducer dramatically increased TCE degradation. For instance, at 200 μ M TCE the k value when toluene was added (0.03 d^{− 1}) was 2.2 times higher than without inducers (0.009 d^{− 1}). The addition of 0.2 μ M phenol increased the rate constant by 58%. However, PCE degradation rates were not changed significantly.

Keywords:

• Bioremediation
• Chlorinated solvents
• Perchloroethylene
• Trichloroethylene.