• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.68-76
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• 2006

Anaerobic reductive dechlorination of tetrachloroethylene (PCE) to ethylene was investigated by performing laboratory experiments using semi-continuous flow two-in-series soil columns. The columns were packed with soils obtained from TCE-contaminated site in Korea. Site ground water containing lactate (as electron donor and/or carbon source) and PCE was pumped into the soil columns. During the first operation with a period of 50 days, injected mass ratio of lactate and PCE was 620:1 and incomplete reductive dechlorination of PCE to cis-DCE was observed in the columns. However, complete dechlorination of PCE to ethylene was observed when the mass ratio increased to 5,050:1 in the second operation, suggesting that the electron donor might be limited during the first operation period. Dechlorination rate of PCE to cis-DCE was $0.62{\sim}1.94\;{\mu}mol$ PCE/L pore volume/d and $2.76\;{\mu}mol$ cis-DCE/ L pore volume/d for that for cis-DCE to ethylene, resulting that net dechlorination rate in the system was 1.43 umol PCE/L pore volume/d. During the degradation of cis-DCE to ethylene, the concentration of hydrogen in column groundwater was $22{\sim}29\;mM$ and $10{\sim}64\;mM$ for the degradation of PCE to cis-DCE. These positive results indicate that the TCE-contaminated groundwater investigated in this study could be remediated through in-situ biological anaerobic reductive dechlorination processes.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.32 no.1B
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• pp.85-91
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• 2012

Permeable Reactive Barriers (PRBs) using zero valent iron (ZVI, $Fe^0$) is a promising technology for in-situ remediation of trichloroethylene (TCE) forming dense non aqueous phase liquid (DNAPL). The objective of this study is to develop an enhanced treatment method of trichloroethylene-contaminated groundwater using ZVI packed bed with direct current (D.C.). A column experiment was performed to investigate degradation efficiency of TCE that was performed in three different combination of control (only sand), ZVI column (ZVI:sand, packing ratio 1:2(v/v)) and bipolar column (ZVI:sand=1:2(v/v) with electric current) in the test columns. As the results of this study, the degradation efficiency of TCE was improved with simultaneous application of both bipolar column compared to that used ZVI column. Because ZVI particles are isolated and individual particles act like small electrodes. In this experiment, it was indicated a basic material for application of bipolar packed bed as electro-PRBs that was effective degradation of TCE.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.34 no.5
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• pp.304-311
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• 2012

Chlorinated ethylenes such as perchloroethylene (PCE) and trichloroethylene (TCE) are widely used as industrial solvents and degreasing agents. Because of improper handling, these highly toxic chlorinated ethylenes have been often detected from contaminated soils and groundwater. Biological PCE dechlorination activities were tested in bacterial cultures inoculated with 10 different environmental samples from sediments, sludges, soils, and groundwater. Of these, the sediment using culture (SE 2) was selected and used for establishing an efficient PCE dechlorinating enrichment culture since it showed the highest activity of dechlorination. The cathode chamber of bioelectrochemical system (BES) was inoculated with the enrichment culture and the system with a cathode polarized at -500 mV (Vs Ag/AgCl) was operated under fed-batch mode. PCE was dechlorinated to ethylene via TCE, cis-dichloroethylene, and vinyl chloride. Microbial community analysis with polymerase chain reaction-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE) showed that the microbial community in the enrichment culture was significantly changed during the bio-electrochemical PCE dechlorination in the BES. The communities of suspended-growth bacteria and attached-growth bacteria on the cathode surface are also quite different from each other, indicating that there were some differences in their mechanisms receiving electrons from electrode for PCE dechlorination. Further detailed research to investigate electron transfer mechanism would make the bioelctrochemical dechlorination technique greatly useful for bioremediation of soil and groundwater contaminated with chlorinated ethylenes.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.38-45
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• 2005

The feasibility of stimulating in situ aerobic cometabolic activity of indigenous microorganisms was investigated in a trichloroethylene (TCE)-contaminated aquifer. A series of single-well natural drift tests (SWNDTs) was conducted by injecting site groundwater amended with a bromide tracer and combinations of toluene, oxygen, nitrate, ethylene and TCE into an existing monitoring well and by sampling the same well over time. Three field tests, Push-pull Transport Test, Drift Biostimulation Test, and Drift Surrogate Activity Test, were performed in sequence. Initial rate of toluene degradation was much faster than the rate of bromide dilution resulting from natural groundwater drift, indicating stimulation of indigenous toluene-oxidizing microorganisms. Transformation of ethylene, a surrogate probing overall activity of TCE transformation, was also observed, and its transformation results in the production of ethylene oxide, suggesting that some tolueneoxidizing microorganisms stimulated may express a orthomonooxygenase enzyme. Also in situ transformation of TCE was confirmed by greater retardation of TCE than bromide after the stimulation of toluene-oxidizing microorganisms. These results indicate that, in this environment, toluene and oxygen additions stimulated the growth and aerobic cometabolic activity of indigenous microorganisms expressing orthomonooxygenase enzymes. The simple, low-cost field test method presented in this study provides an effective method for conducting rapid field assessments and pilot testing of aerobic cometabolism, which has previously hindered application of this technology to groundwater remediation.

• Journal of Korea Soil Environment Society
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• v.4 no.3
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• pp.85-93
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• 1999

The destruction of hazardous chemicals such as chlorinated organic compounds(COCs) and nitroaromatic compounds(NACs) by zero-valent iron powder is one of the latest innovative technologies. In this paper. the rapid dechlorination of chlorinated compounds as well as transformation of nitro functional group to amine functional group in the nitroaromatic compounds using synthesized zero-valent iron powder with nanoscale were studied in anaerobic batch system. Nanoscale iron, characterized by high surface area to mass ratios(31.4$\textrm{m}^2$/g) and high reactivity, could quickly reacts with compounds such as TCE, chloroform, nitrobenzene, nitrotoluene, dinitrobenzene and dinitrotoluene, at concentration of 10mg/L in aqueous solution at room temperature and pressure. In this study, the TCE was dechlorinated to ethane and chloroform to methane and nitro groups in NACs were transformed to amino groups in less than 30min. These results indicated that this chemical method using nanoscale iron powder has the high potential for the remediation of soils and groundwater contaminated with hazardous toxic chemicals including chlorinated organic compounds and nitro aromatic compounds.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.15 no.6
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• pp.114-121
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• 2010

Oxygen sensitivity and substrate requirement have been known as possible reasons for the intricate growth of Dehalococcoides spp. and limiting factors of for routinely applying bioaugmentation using anaerobic Dehalococcoides-containing microbes for remediating chlorinated organic compounds. To explore the effect of the short-term exposure of the short-term exposure of oxygen on Dehalococcoides capability, dechlorination performance, and hydrogen production fermentation from formate, an anaerobic reductive dechlorination mixed-culture (Evanite culture) including dehalococcoides spp. was in this study. In the results, once the mixed-culture were exposed to oxygen, trichloroethylene (TCE) degradation rate decreased and it was not fully recovered even addition of excess formate for 40 days. In contrast, hydrogen was continuously produced by hydrogen-fermentation process even under oxygen presence. The results indicate that although the oxygen-exposed cells cannot completely dechlorinate TCE to ethylene (ETH), hydrogen fermentation process was not affected by oxygen presence. These results suggest that dechlorinating microbes may more sensitive to oxygen than fermenting microbes, and monitoring dechlorinators activity may be critical to achieve an successful remediation of a TCE contaminated-aquifer through bioaugmentation using Dehalococcoides spp..

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Soil and Groundwater Environment Conference
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• 2002.09a
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• pp.117-121
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• 2002

A numerical model that describes the reductive dechlorination of tetrachloroethene(PCE) to ethene via cis-dichloroethene(CDCE) was developed. The model included two separated dehalogenator groups : one for PCE transformation to cDCE via TCE and the other for cDCE dehalogenation to ethene via VC, competitive inhibition between different chloroethene electron accepters, and competition for H$_2$ between dechlorination and methanogens. Model simulations suggest first, that PCE dechlorinators are better competitive with methanogens than cDCE dechlorinators. Second, not only the initial relative population size of dehalogenators and H$_2$-utilizing methanogens but also electron donor delivery strategies used greatly affects the degree of dehalogenation. As a result, all of factors in the above must be considered in order to achieve economical and successful bioremediation of contaminated soil and groundwater with chlorinated solvents.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Soil and Groundwater Environment Conference
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• 2000.11a
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• pp.182-195
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• 2000

Indigenous bacteria from poplar roots (Populus mnadensis var. eugenei, 'Imperial Carolina') and Southern Californian shrub rhizospheres as well as two tree-colonizing Rhizobium strains (ATCC 10320 and 35645) were genetically engineered to express constitutively and stably toluene o-monooxygenase (TOM) from Burkholderia cepacia G4 by integrating the torn locus into the chromosome. The poplar and Rhizobium recombinants degraded trichloroethylene (TCE) at 0.8-2.1 nmol/min.mg protein (initial TCE concentration, 10u M) and competitive against the unengineered hosts in wheat and barley rhizospheres for one month (colonization at 1-23 $\times$ 10$^{5}$ CFU/cm root). In addition, six of these recombinants colonized poplar roots stably and competitively with populations as high as 79 $\pm$ 12% of all rhizosphere bacteria after 28 days (0.2-31 $\times$ 10$^{5}$ CFU/cm root). Furthermore, five of the most-competitive poplar recombinants (e.g., Pb3-1 and Pb5-1 which were identified as Pseudomonas PsK) retained the ability to express TOM for 29 days as 100 $\pm$ 0% of the recombinants detected in the poplar rhizosphere had constitutive expression of TOM.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.18 no.6
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• pp.48-55
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• 2013

This study aimed at characterizing unsaturated zone at the source zone area contaminated by DNAPL and investigating feasibility of soil vapor extraction (SVE). Five boreholes with three multi-level screens at the depth of 3.0~4.5 m, 5.5~7.0 m, and 8.0~12.0 m were installed at the source zone. Pneumatic tests were performed to determine the permeability of porous medium. Permeability was estimated to be 81.6 to 203.7 darcy, depending on the applied solutions, which was contradicted by grain size analysis of cored soil samples leading to 3.51 darcy. This is due to air flow through gravel pack during the early stage of pneumatic test. Pressure-drawdown curve in the late stage also well showed the leaky aquifer type, indicating air leakage to the ground. Air flow tests were also carried out to investigate air flow connectivity between multi-level wells, indicating that the horizontal air flow was well developed between the lower screens of the wells, not between the upper and middle screens due to the leakage to the surface. For the SVE test, there was no noticeable variation in TCE vapor concentration between three different test runs: 1. 8 hours daily for 5 days, 2. 24 hours together with air blowing at another well (BH1), 3. five consecutive days. Even for five-day consecutive test, total amount of removed TCE was estimated only to be as low as 46.5 g.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Soil and Groundwater Environment Conference
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• 2003.10a
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• pp.89-110
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• 2003

The limitations of conventional soil and groundwater contamination remediation technologies have motivated a search for innovative technologies; particularly in situ technologies that do not require extraction of contaminants from the subsurface. All engineered in situ remediation systems require that the contaminant be mixed with a remedial compound. Horizontal flow treatment wells (HFTWs), an innovative technology that consists of a pair of dual-screened treatment wells, were used at a trichloroethylene (TCE) contaminated site to efficiently achieve this mixing of contaminant and remedial compound in order to effect in situ bioremediation (McCarty et al., 1998). In this paper, the potential of HFTWs to treat chlorinated aliphatic hydrocarbons (CAHs) as well as other soil and groundwater contaminants of concern, such as nitroaromatic compounds (NACs), perchlorate, and methyl-tert-butyl ether (MTBE), is examined. Through a combination of laboratory studies, model analyses, and field evaluations, the effectiveness of this innovative technology to manage these contaminants is investigated.