Miller E, Menashe O, Dosoretz CG. A tailored permeable reactive bio-barrier for
in situ groundwater remediation: removal of 3-chlorophenol as a case study.
ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY 2022;
43:1200-1210. [PMID:
32912063 DOI:
10.1080/09593330.2020.1822922]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2020] [Accepted: 09/07/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The present study explored bacterial aerobic biodegradation of reduced carbon-contaminants (RCC) in a pilot system mimicking remediation of a saturated aquifer in a permeable reactive biobarrier (PRBB). Bioaugmentation was performed with a pure culture of Pseudomonas putida macro-encapsulated in a cellulose-acetate porous envelope and integrated transversely to the flow trajectory of the fluid in the biobarrier and compared with controls without capsules. The macro-encapsulation technique applied allowed the incorporation of a built-in nutrient core for the slow release of macronutrients, i.e. N, P, instead of exogenous nutrients supply. 3-Chlorophenol (3CP) at a concentration range of 350-500 mg/L was chosen as an RCC model compound. The findings indicate efficient 3CP biodegradation during the PRBB operation with a similar degree of transformation (76 ± 2% and 72 ± 2%) and mineralization (55 ± 4% vs. 49 ± 3%) for exogenous and built-in nutrients supply, respectively. The extent of dechlorination in both cases (54 ± 10% vs. 40 ± 2%, respectively) followed mineralization rather than transformation, suggesting that Cl- release took place in late transformation stages. Negligible decontamination was observed in the control system without bioaugmentation. Concluding, tailored PRBB with macro-capsules incorporating a built-in nutrient core to support bacterial growth presents a significant environmental advantage controlling excess nutrients release required in bioremediation of oligotrophic systems.
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