Anaerobic dechlorination of polychlorobiphenyls (Aroclor 1242) by pasteurized and ethanol-treated microorganisms from sediments

Journal Article · Wed Apr 01 04:00:00 EST 1992 · Applied and Environmental Microbiology; (United States)

OSTI ID:7045543

Ye, Dingyi; Quensen, III, J F; Tiedje, J M; Boyd, S A ^[1]

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1. Michigan State Univ., East Lansing (United States)

A polychlorobiphenyl (PCB)-dechlorinating inoculum eluted from upper Hudson River sediments was treated with either heat or ethanol or both. The treated cultures retained the ability to dechlorinate PCBs (Aroclor 1242) under strictly anaerobic conditions. The dechlorination activity was maintained in serial cultures inoculated with transfers of 1% inoculum when the transferred inoculum was treated each time in the same manner. No methane production was detected in any treated culture, although dechlorination of PCBs in the untreated cultures was always accompanied by methane production. All treated cultures preferentially removed meta chlorines, yielding a dechlorination pattern characterized by accumulation of certain ortho- and para-substituted congeners such as 2-4-chlorobiphenyl (2-4-CB), 2,4-2-CB, and 2,4-4-CB. In contrast, the untreated cultures showed more extensive dechlorination activities, which almost completely removed both meta and para chlorines from Aroclor 1242. These results suggest that microorganisms responsible for the dechlorination of PCBs in the upper Hudson River sediments can be grouped into two populations according to their responses to the heat and ethanol treatments. Microorganisms surviving the heat and ethanol treatments preferentially remove meta chlorines, while microorganisms lost from the enrichment mainly contribute to the para dechlorination activity. These results indicate that anaerobic sporeformers are at least one of the physiological groups responsible for the reductive dechlorination of PCBs.

• OSTI ID: 7045543
• Journal Information: Applied and Environmental Microbiology; (United States), Journal Name: Applied and Environmental Microbiology; (United States) Vol. 58:4; ISSN 0099-2240; ISSN AEMID
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
540220* -- Environment
Terrestrial-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (1990-)
ALCOHOLS
ALKANES
ANAEROBIC CONDITIONS
AROMATICS
BIODEGRADATION
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CHLORINATED AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS
DECHLORINATION
DECOMPOSITION
DEHALOGENATION
DETOXIFICATION
ETHANOL
HALOGENATED AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS
HEAT TREATMENTS
HUDSON RIVER
HYDROCARBONS
HYDROXY COMPOUNDS
METHANE
MICROORGANISMS
ORGANIC CHLORINE COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
RIVERS
SEDIMENTS
STREAMS
SURFACE WATERS