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Updated: Sep 26, 2026

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Published on: December 24, 2014
Enhancement of aerobic microbial degradation of polychlorinated biphenyl in soil microcosms
Manuel A Manzano1, José A Perales, Diego Sales
1Department of Chemical Engineering and Environmental Technology, Faculty of Sea and Environmental Sciences, Cádiz University, Polígono Río San Pedro s/n, 11510 Puerto Real, Cádiz, Spain. manuel.manzano@uca.es
Abstract:
This article reports the results of various biodegradation experiments on polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB)-contaminated sandy soil employing a mixed culture of acclimatized bacteria. Following the optimization of different variables without chemical pretreatment, the elimination rate achieved of Aroclor 1242 in slurry-phase reactors was 61% after four months of treatment, with the presence of biphenyl as cosubstrate being the most important factor affecting PCB biodegradation. The biodegradation occurred as a first-order process, and it proved most effective in respect to dichlorinated biphenyls (100% removal), followed by trichlorinated (92%) and tetrachlorinated biphenyls (24%). The results also showed that the degradability of PCBs in soil may be enhanced by an advanced oxidation pretreatment (Fenton reaction), producing almost 100% elimination of PCBs at the end of the integrated chemical-biological process and 72% mineralization of the intermediates generated during the chemical pretreatment.
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