• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.16 no.10
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• pp.1147-1155
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• 2007

The applicability of in situ biobarrier or microbial filter technology for the remediation of groundwater contaminated with chlorinated solvent was investigated through column study. In this study, the effect of packing materials on the reductive dechlorination of PCE was investigated using Canadian peat, Pahokee peat, peat moss and vermicompost (or worm casting) as a biobarrier medium. Optimal conditions previously determined from a batch microcosm study was applied in this column study. Lactate/benzoate was amended as electron donors to stimulate reductive dechlorination of PCE. Hydraulic conductivity was approximately $6{\times}10^{-5}-8{\times}10^{-5}\;cm/sec$ and no difference was found among the packing materials. The transport and dispersion coefficients determined from the curve-fitting of the breakthrough curves of $Br^-$ using CXTFIT 2.1 showed no difference between single-region and two-region models. The reductive dechlorination of PCE was efficiently occurred in all columns. Among the columns, especially the column packed with vermicompost exhibited the highest reductive dechlorination efficiency. The results of this study showed the promising potential of in situ biobarrier technology using peat and vermicompost for the remediation of groundwater contaminated with chlorinated solvents.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Soil and Groundwater Environment Conference
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• 2003.09a
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• pp.391-394
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• 2003

The applicability of in situ microbial filter or biobarrier technology for the remediation of soil and groundwater contaminated with chlorinated solvents was investigated. The efficiency and rates of reductive dechlorination of chlorinated solvents are known to be highly dependent on hydrogen concentration. In this study, the effect of electron donors on the reductive dechlorination of PCE was investigated using vermicompost (worm casting) and peat as permeable reactive barrier medium The effect of organic acids (lactate, butyrate and benzoate), yeast extract and vitamin $B_{l2}$ on the reductive dechlorination was investigated. Compared to the control (no electron donor added), addition of electron donors stimulated the dechlorinated rate. Among the electron donor treatments, lactate/benzoate amendment exhibited the highest dechlorination rate. Since vermicompost and peat are inexpensive and biodegradable and have high sorption capacity, they could be successfully used as biobarrier media, especially when electron donors (for example, lactate/benzoate) are added.d.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Soil and Groundwater Environment Conference
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• 2004.04a
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• pp.158-161
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• 2004

Chlorinated aliphatic hydrocarbons (CAHs) especially perchlorethylene (PCE) and trichlooethylene (TCE) are common groundwater contaminants in Korea. PCE and TCE were often reductively dechiorinated in an aquifer. Several isolates dechlorinate PCE to TCE or cis-1,2 dichloroethylene (c-DCE) were obtained from contaminated and pristine sites in USA and Europe. However in Korea, no information on indigenous microorganism being involved in reductive dechlorination of PCE and TCE is available and different dechlorinating microorganisms might be reside in Korea, since geochemical, and hydrogeological conditions are different, compared to those in the other sites. So we evaluate that: 1) if reductive dechlorinating microorganisms are present in PCE-contaminated site in Korea, 2) if so, what kinds of microorganisms are present; 3) to what extent PCE is reductively dechlorinated. As a results in some PCE-contaminated aquifers in Korea other dechlorinating microorganisms but Dehalococcoides ethenogenes may be responsible for PCE dechlorination. More detailed molecular works are required to evaluate that different dechlorinating microorganisms would reside in Korea.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.52-58
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• 2005

In Korea, little attention has been paid to microbial perchloroethylene (PCE) and/or trichloroethylene (TCE) dechlorination activity and identification of microorganisms involved in PCE reductive dechlorination at a PCE-contaminated aquifer. We performed microcosm tests using the groundwater samples from 4 different contaminated sites (i.e. Changwon A, Changwon B, Bucheon and Yangsan) to assess PCE reductive dechlorination activity. We also adapted molecular techniques to screen what types of known reductive dechlorinators are present at the PCE-contaminated aquifers. In the Changwon A and Changwon B active microcosms where potential electron donors such as sodium propionate, sodium lactate, sodium butyrate, and sodium fumarate, were added, ethylene, an end-product of complete reductive dechlorination of PCE, was detected after a period of 90 days of incubation. In the Bucheon and Yangsan active microcosms, cis-1,2-dichloroethylene (c-DCE) was accumulated without the production of vinyl chloride (VC) and ethylene. Molecular techniques were used to evaluate the microbial community structures in the Changwon B and Yangsan aquifer. We found two sequence types that were closely related to a known PCE to ethylene dechlorinator, named uncultured bacterium clone DCE47, in the Changwon B site clone library. However, in the Yangsan site clone library, no sequence type was closely related to known PCE dechlorinators reported. It is plausible that microorganisms being capable of completely dechlorinating PCE to ethylene may be present in the Changwon B site aquifer. In this study we find that complete PCE reductive dechlorinators are present at some PCE-contaminated sites in Korea. In an engineering point of view this information makes it feasible to apply a biological reductive dechlorination process for remediating PCE- and/or TCE-contaminated aquifers in Korea.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.22-37
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• 2006

The applicability of biobarrier or in situ microbial filter technology for the remediation of groundwater contaminated with chlorinated solvent was investigated through batch microcosm study. The efficiency and rates of reductive dechlorination of tetrachloroethylene (PCE) are known to be highly dependent on hydrogen concentration. In this study, the effect of electron donors on the reductive dechlorination of PCE was investigated using vermicompost (or worm casting) and peat as a biobarrier medium. The effect of organic acids (lactate, butyrate and benzoate), yeast extract and vitamin $B_{12}$ on the reductive dechlorination was investigated. In the absence of biobarrier medium (adsorbent), addition of electron donors stimulated the dechlorination rate of PCE compared to the control experiment (i.e., no electron donor added). Among the treatments, addition of lactate or lactate/benzoate as hydrogen donor exhibited the highest dechlorination rate ($k_1=0.0260{\sim}0.0266\;day^{-1}$). In case of using vermicompost as a biobarrier medium, amendment of lactate/benzoate exhibited the highest dechlorination rate following with a pseudo-first-order degradation rate constant of $k_1=0.0849\;day^{-1}$. In contrast, when Pahokee peat was used as a biobarrier medium, either butyrate or lactate addition exhibited the highest dechlorination rate with $k_1$ values of 0.1092 and $0.1067\;day^{-1}$, respectively. The results of this study showed the potential applicability of in situ biobarrier technology using vermicompost or peat as a barrier material for the remediation of groundwater contaminated with chlorinated solvent.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.120-129
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• 2016

An industrial complex in Wonju, contaminated with trichloroethene (TCE), was one of the most problematic sites in Korea. Despite repeated remedial trials for decades, chlorinated ethenes remained as sources of down-gradient groundwater contamination. Recent efforts were being made to remove the contaminants of the area, but knowledge of the indigenous microbial communities and their dechlorination abilities were unknown. Thus, the objectives of the present study were (i) to evaluate the dechlorination abilities of indigenous microbes at the contaminated site, (ii) to characterize which microbes and reductive dehalogenase genes were responsible for the dechlorination reactions, and (iii) to develop a PCE-to-ethene dechlorinating microbial consortium. An enrichment culture that dechlorinates PCE to ethene was obtained from Wonju stream, nearby a trichloroethene (TCE)-contaminated industrial complex. The community profiling revealed that known organohalide-respiring microbes, such as Geobacter, Desulfuromonas, and Dehalococcoides grew during the incubation with chlorinated ethenes. Although Chloroflexi populations (i.e., Longilinea and Bellilinea) were the most enriched in the sediment microcosms, those were not found in the transfer cultures. Based upon the results from pyrosequencing of 16S rRNA gene amplicons and qPCR using TaqMan chemistry, close relatives of Dehalococcoides mccartyi strains FL2 and GT seemed to be dominant and responsible for the complete detoxification of chlorinated ethenes in the transfer cultures. This study also demonstrated that the contaminated site harbors indigenous microbes that can convert PCE to ethene, and the developed consortium can be an important resource for future bioremediation efforts.

• Proceedings of KOSOMES biannual meeting
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• 2007.11a
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• pp.185-185
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• 2007

Starting at the beginning q the 20th century, increasing amounts of tetrach1oroethene (PCE) and trichloroethene (TCE)were manufactured due to the extensive use of these compounds in industry, in the military, and in private households, mainly as nonflammable solvents. This widespread use, along with careless handling and storage, are among the most serious contaminants of soil, sediment and groundwater. Highly chlorinated ethenes are typically not degraded through oxygenation by aerobic bacteria Since complete reductive dechlorination of PCE and TCE to ethene (ETH) has been observed in anaerobic enrichment culture, anaerobic dehalorespiring bacteria have received increased attention in the last decade. Under anaerobic conditions, these compounds con be reductively dehalogenated to less-chlorinated ethenes or innocuous ethene by microorganism through dehalorespiration. We have been studying anaerobic enrichment culture which used lactate as the electron donor for reductive dechlorination of PCE to ETH the anaerobic mixed microbial culture was enriched from the sediment sample taken from site contaminated with PCE. PCE was consistently and completely converted to ethene. In addition, the accumulation of intermediate products such as 1,2-ds-dichloroethene (cis-DCE) and vinyl chloride (VC) was observed in the anaerobic mixed microbial culture. the established dechlorinating enrichment culture was analyzed by DGGE using primers specific to DefrJ1ococcoides 16S rRNA gene sequences. In conclusion, we established the PCE dechlorinating enrichment culture and confirmed the existence of Dehalococcoides in an enrichment culture.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.140-147
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• 2009

In this study, anaerobic enrichment cultivation was performed with the sediments from the Gimpo and Inchon areas. Lactate as an electron donor and PCE as an electron acceptor was injected into the serum bottle with an anaerobic medium. After the incubation of 8 weeks, the reductive dechlorination of PCE was observed in 7 sites among 16 sites (43%). Three enrichment cultures showed completely dechlorination of PCE to ethene, while four enrichment culture showed transformation of PCE to cis-DCE. The bacterial community structure was analyzed by PCR-DGGE. Dechlorinating bacteria were detected by species-specific primers. The dominant species in seven anaerobic enrichments were found to belong to the genus of Dehalococcoides sp. and Geobacter sp., and Dehalobacter sp.

• Journal of the Korea Organic Resources Recycling Association
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.55-65
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• 2003

The combined effect of bioaugmentation of dechlorinating bacterial cultures and addition of iron powder($Fe^0$ on reductive dechlorination of tetrachloroethylene(PCE) and other chlorinated ethylenes in a artificially contaminated soil slurry(60micromoles PCE/kg soil). Two different anaerobic bacterial cultures, a pure bacterial culture of Desulfitobacterium sp. strain Y-51 capable of dechlorinating PCE to cis-1,2-dechloroethylene(cis-DCE) and the other enrichment culture PE-1 capable of dechlorinating PCE completely to ethylene, were used for the bioaugmentation test. Both treatments introduced with the strain Y-51 and PE-1 culture (3mg dry cell weight/kg soil) showed conversion of PCE to cis-DCE within 40days. The treatments added with $Fe^0$(0.1-1.0%) alone to the soil slurry resulted in extended PCE dechlorination to ethylene and ethane and the dechlorination rate depended on the amount of $Fe^0$ added. The combined use of the bacterial cultures with $Fe^0$(0.1-1.0%)) showed the higher PCE dechlorination rate than the separated application and the pattern of PCE dechlorination and end-product formation was different from those of the separated application. When 0.1% of $Fe^0$ was added with the cultures, the treatments with the strain Y-51 and $Fe^0$ resulted in cis-DCE accumulation from PCE dechlorination, but the treatment with the enrichment culture and $Fe^0$ showed the more extended dechlorination via cis-DCE. These results suggested that the combined application of and the bactrial culture, specially the complete dechlorinating enrichment culture, is practically effective for bioremediation of PCE contaminated soil.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.49-55
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• 2012

A 1.28 L-batch reactor and continuous-flow stirred tank reactor (CFSTR) fed with formate and trichloroethene (TCE) were operated for 120 days and 56 days, respectively, to study the effect of formate as electron donor on anaerobic reductive dechlorination (ARD) of TCE to cis-1,2-dichloroethylene (c-DCE), vinyl chloride (VC), and ethylene (ETH). In batch reactor, injected 60 ${\mu}mol$ TCE was completely degraded in the presence of 20% hydrogen gas ($H_2$) in less than 8 days by anaerobic dechlorination mixed-culture (300 mg-soluble protein), Evanite Culture with ability to completely degrade tetrachloroethene (PCE) and -TCE to ETH under anaerobic conditions. Once the formate was used as electron donor instead of hydrogen gas in batch or chemostat system, the TCE-dechlorination rate decreased and acetate production rate increased. It indicates that the concentration of hydrogen produced in both systems is possibly more close to threshold for homoacetogenesis process. Soluble protein concentration of Evanite culture during the batch test increased from 300 mg to 688 mg for 120 days. Through the protein monitoring, we confirmed an increase of microbial population during the reactor operation. In CFSTR test, TCE was fed continuously at 9.9 ppm (75.38 ${\mu}mol/L$) and the influent formate feed concentration increased stepwise from 1.3 mmol/L to 14.3 mmol/L. Injected TCE was accumulated at 18 days of HRT, but TCE was completely degraded at 36 days of HRT without accumulation of the injected-TCE during the left of experiment period, getting $H_2$ from fermentative hydrogen production of injected formate. Although c-DCE was also accumulated for 23 days after beginning of CFSTR operation, it reached steady-state in the presence of excessive formate. We also evaluated microbial dynamic of the culture at different chemical state in the reactor by DGGE (denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis).