Monitoring Microbial Dechlorination of Tetrachloroethene (PCE) in Groundwater Using Compound-Specific Stable Carbon Isotope Ratios: Microcosm and Field Studies

Citations Over TimeTop 1% of 1999 papers

Abstract

The determination of compound-specific stable isotope ratios is a promising new tool to assess biodegradation of organic compounds in groundwater. In this study, the occurrence of carbon isotope fractionation during dechlorination of tetrachloroethene (PCE) to ethene was evaluated in a PCE-contaminated aquifer and in a microcosm that was based on aquifer material from the site. In the microcosm, all dechlorination steps were accompanied by carbon isotope fractionation. The largest fractionation occurred during dechlorination of cis-1,2-dichloroethene (cDCE) and vinyl chloride (VC), resulting in a large enrichment of 13C in the remaining cDCE and VC. Stable carbon isotope ratios (δ13C) of cDCE and VC increased from −25.7 to −1.5‰ and −37.0 to −2.5‰, respectively. The δ13C of ethene was initially −60.2‰ and approached the δ13C of the added PCE (−27.3‰) as dechlorination came to completion. A similar carbon isotope pattern was observed for PCE dechlorination at the field site. Strong enrichment of 13C in cDCE and VC during microbial dechlorination may serve as a powerful tool to monitor the last two dechlorination steps, which frequently determine the rate of complete dechlorination of chlorinated ethenes at field sites undergoing intrinsic bioremediation.

Related Papers

• → Reductive dechlorination of chloroalkenes in microcosms developed with a field contaminated soil(1993)39 cited
• → Efficient dechlorination of tetrachloroethylene in soil slurry by combined use of an anaerobic Desulfitobacterium sp. strain Y-51 and zero-valent iron(2001)38 cited
• → Efficient Dechlorination of Tetrachloroethylene in Soil Slurry by Combined Use of an Anaerobic Desulfitobacterium sp. Strain Y-51 and Zero-Valent Iron.(2001)8 cited
• Reductive dechlorination of chlorinated organic compounds by iron-containing compounds(2002)
• Anaerobic Reductive Dechlorination of Tetrachloroethylene (PCE) in Two-in-series Semi-continuous Soil Columns(2006)