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 microM 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 microM toluene or phenol as an inducer dramatically increased TCE degradation. For instance, at 200 microM 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 microM phenol increased the rate constant by 58%. However, PCE degradation rates were not changed significantly.