Microbial degradation of toluene under sulfate-reducing conditions and the influence of iron on the process

Technical Report · Wed Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1992

OSTI ID:5267860

Beller, H R; Grbic-Galic, D; Reinhard, M

Toluene degradation occurred concomitantly with sulfate reduction in anaerobic microcosms inoculated with contaminated subsurface soil from an aviation fuel storage facility near the Patuxent River (Md.). Similar results were obtained from enrichment cultures in which toluene was the sole carbon source. Several lines of evidence suggest that toluene degradation was directly coupled to sulfate reduction in Patuxent River microcosms and enrichment cultures: (1) the two processes were synchronous and highly correlated, (2) the observed stoichiometric ratios of moles of sulfate consumed per mole of toluene consumed were consistent with the theoretical ratio for the oxidation of toluene to CO2 coupled with the reduction of sulfate to hydrogen sulfide, and (3) toluene degradation ceased when sulfate was depleted, and conversely, sulfate reduction ceased when toluene was depleted. Mineralization of toluene was confirmed in experiments with (ring-U-14C)toluene. The addition of millimolar concentrations of amorphous Fe(OH)3 to Patuxent River microcosms and enrichment cultures either greatly facilitated the onset of toluene degradation or accelerated the rate once degradation had begun. In iron-amended microcosms and enrichment cultures, ferric iron reduction proceeded concurrently with toluene degradation and sulfate reduction. Stoichiometric data and other observations indicate that ferric iron reduction was not directly coupled to toluene oxidation but was a secondary, presumably abiotic, reaction between ferric iron and biogenic hydrogen sulfide. (Copyright (c) 1992, American Society for Microbiology.)

• Research Organization: Stanford Univ., CA (United States). Dept. of Civil Engineering
• OSTI ID: 5267860
• Report Number(s): PB-92-166735/XAB; CNN: EPA-R-815721
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
540220* -- Environment
Terrestrial-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (1990-)
560300 -- Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
ALKYLATED AROMATICS
AQUIFERS
AROMATICS
AVIATION FUELS
BACTERIA
BIODEGRADATION
CHALCOGENIDES
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CONTAMINATION
CONTROL
DECOMPOSITION
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
FUELS
HYDROCARBONS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
HYDROGEN SULFIDES
IRON COMPOUNDS
IRON OXIDES
LAND POLLUTION CONTROL
MASS TRANSFER
MICROCOSMS
MICROORGANISMS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
POLLUTION CONTROL
REDOX REACTIONS
STOICHIOMETRY
SUBSURFACE ENVIRONMENTS
SULFATE-REDUCING BACTERIA
SULFATES
SULFIDES
SULFUR COMPOUNDS
TOLUENE
TRANSITION ELEMENT COMPOUNDS
WATER POLLUTION CONTROL