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- Title
The importance of proper pH adjustment and control to achieve complete in situ enhanced reductive dechlorination.
- Authors
Ortiz‐Medina, Juan Fausto; Yuncu, Bilgen; Ross, Lydia; Elkins, Brad
- Abstract
In situ bioremediation of chlorinated compounds such as perchloroethylene (PCE) and trichloroethylene (TCE) through enhanced reductive dechlorination (ERD) requires appropriate growth conditions for organohalide‐respiring bacteria (OHRB). One of the most important factors controlling OHRB metabolism is groundwater pH. Dehalococcoides spp. (DHC) growth may be inhibited when pH is lower than 6.0, which can lead to the accumulation of toxic daughter compounds including cis‐dichloroethylene (cDCE) and vinyl chloride (VC). Aquifer pH may decline as HCl is released during reductive dechlorination and from substrate fermentation to fatty acids and carbonic acid. In this article, we demonstrate that using proper pH adjustment and control in situ is an appropriate strategy to achieve complete ERD (i.e., complete conversion of PCE and TCE to nontoxic ethylene) in remediation sites with inherently low pH values and/or low buffering capacity. To analyze the effectiveness of this approach, field monitoring results are presented for a challenging site containing high concentrations of PCE and TCE (>10 000 µg/L and >1000 µg/L, respectively) and low aquifer pH (~4.9). Addition of a bioaugmentation culture, emulsified vegetable oil (EVO), and a colloidal buffer (CoBupHTM) to increase pH, stimulated rapid conversion of PCE and TCE to cDCE and VC. However, further conversion of cDCE and VC was very limited. To stimulate complete conversion to ethylene, additional CoBupHTM and nutrients were injected, resulting in a rapid increase in metabolic rates, and maintained the aquifer pH at ~6.5 for more than five years, thus demonstrating that complete ERD can be achieved in sites with similar characteristics. Proper pH adjustment and control is needed to limit the accumulation of toxic intermediates, maintaining in situ bioremediation as an efficient, affordable, and environmentally friendly option to treat chlorinated compounds. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2023;19:943–948. © 2022 SETAC Key Points: During in situ enhanced reductive dechlorination (ERD), pH plays a major role in remediating chlorinated compounds. Acidic conditions, either from natural or engineered sources, will inhibit the growth of crucial organohalide‐respiring bacteria such as Dehalococcoides spp. (DHC).Using pH adjustment and control through injectable amendments is a viable strategy to overcome decrease in pH during ERD and can contribute to achieving complete dechlorination on challenging aquifers when the appropriate amounts of substrate, nutrients, and pH buffer are supplemented to grow DHC.
- Subjects
IN situ bioremediation; CARBONIC acid; METABOLIC regulation; VINYL chloride; VEGETABLE oils; TRICHLOROETHYLENE; CHLOROHYDROCARBONS
- Publication
Integrated Environmental Assessment & Management, 2023, Vol 19, Issue 4, p943
- ISSN
1551-3777
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1002/ieam.4696