Microbial Communities Associated with Sustained Anaerobic Reductive Dechlorination of α-, β-, γ-, and δ-Hexachlorocyclohexane Isomers to Monochlorobenzene and Benzene

Citations Over TimeTop 20% of 2019 papers

Abstract

Intensive historical and worldwide use of pesticide formulations containing hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) has led to widespread contamination. We derived four anaerobic enrichment cultures from HCH-contaminated soil capable of sustainably dechlorinating each of α-, β-, γ-, and δ-HCH isomers stoichiometrically to benzene and monochlorobenzene (MCB). For each isomer, the dechlorination rates, inferred from production rates of the dechlorinated products, MCB and benzene, increased progressively from Pelobacter and Dehalobacter, most notably in the α-HCH and δ-HCH cultures. Cultivation with a different HCH isomer resulted in distinct bacterial communities, but similar archaeal communities. This study provides the first direct comparison of shifts in anaerobic microbial communities induced by the dechlorination of distinct HCH isomers. It also uncovers candidate microorganisms responsible for the dechlorination of α-, β-, γ-, and δ-HCH, a key step toward better understanding and monitoring of natural attenuation processes and improving bioremediation technologies for HCH-contaminated sites.

Related Papers

• → Reductive dechlorination of β-hexachlorocyclohexane (β-HCH) by a Dehalobacter species in coculture with a Sedimentibacter sp.(2005)163 cited
• → Stable Isotope Fractionation of γ-Hexachlorocyclohexane (Lindane) during Reductive Dechlorination by Two Strains of Sulfate-Reducing Bacteria(2009)88 cited
• → Reductive dechlorination of hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) isomers in soil under anaerobic conditions(2005)39 cited
• → Study of the reductive dechlorination of pentachlorophenol by a methanogenic consortium(1995)25 cited
• Physiological characterization of a microbial consortium that reductively dechlorinates 1,1-dichloroethane to chloroethane(2009)