Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Microcosm evaluation of bioaugmentation after field-scale thermal treatment of a TCE-contaminated aquifer

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Biodegradation Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This paper investigates effects of combining thermal and biological remediation, based on laboratory studies of trichloroethene (TCE) degradation. Aquifer material was collected 6 months after terminating a full-scale Electrical Resistance Heating (ERH), when the site had cooled from approximately 100°C to 40°C. The aquifer material was used to construct bioaugmented microcosms amended with the mixed anaerobic dechlorinating culture, KB-1TM, and an electron donor (5 mM lactate). Microcosms were bioaugmented during cooling at 40, 30, 20, and 10°C, as temperatures continually decreased during laboratory incubation. Redox conditions were generally methanogenic, and electron donors were present to support dechlorination. For microcosms bioaugmented at 10°C and 20°C, dechlorination stalled at cis-dichloroethene (cDCE) and vinyl chloride (VC) 150 days after bioaugmentation. However, within 300 days of incubation ethene was produced in the majority of these microcosms. In contrast, dechlorination was rapid and complete in microcosms bioaugmented at 30°C. Microcosms bioaugmented at 40°C also showed rapid dechlorination, but stalled at cDCE with partial VC and ethene production, even after 150 days of incubation when the temperature had decreased to 10°C. These results suggest that sequential bioremediation of TCE is possible in field-scale thermal treatments after donor addition and bioaugmentation and that the optimal bioaugmentation temperature is approximately 30°C. When biological and thermal remediations are to be applied at the same location, three bioremediation approaches could be considered: (a) treating TCE in perimeter areas outside the source zone at temperatures of approximately 30°C; (b) polishing TCE concentrations in the original source zone during cooling from approximately 30°C to ambient groundwater temperatures; and (c) using bioremediation in downgradient areas taking advantages of the higher temperature and potential release of organic matter.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Bradley PM, Chapelle FH (1999) Role for acetotrophic methanogens in methanogenic biodegradation of vinyl chloride. Environ Sci Technol 33(19):3473–3476

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bradley PM (2003) History and ecology of chloroethene biodegradation: a review. Biorem J 7(2):81–109

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cupples AM, Spormann AM, McCarty PL (2003) Growth of a Dehalococcoides-like microorganism on vinyl chloride and cis-dichloroethene as eletron acceptors as determined by competetive PCR. Appl Environ Microbiol 69(2):953–959

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cupples AM, Spormann AM, McCarty PL (2004) Comparative evaluation of chloroethene dechlorination to ethene by Dehalococcoides-like microorganisms. Environ Sci Technol 38(18):4768–4774

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Davis E (1998) Steam injection for soil and aquifer remediation. EPA/540/S-97/505 Robert S. Kerr Environmental Research Laboratory

  • Duhamel M, Edwards EA (2006) Microbial composition of chlorinated ethene-degrading cultures dominated by Dehalococcoides. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 58:538–549

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Duhamel M, Mo K, Edwards EA (2004) Characterization of a highly enriched Dehalococcoides-containing culture that grows on vinyl chloride and trichloroethene. Appl Environ Microb 70(9):5538–5545

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Duhamel M (2005) Community structure and dynamics of chlorinated ethene-degrading enrichment cultures, Ph.D. thesis, University of Toronto

  • Ellis DE, Lutz EJ, Odom JM et al (2000) Bioaugmentation for accelerated in-situ anaerobic bioremediation. Environ Sci Technol 34(11):2254–2260

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Friis AK (2006) The potential for reductive dechlorination after thermal treatment of TCE-contaminated aquifers. PhD thesis. Technical University of Denmark.

  • Friis AK, Albrechtsen HJ, Heron G et al (2005) Redox processes and release of organic matter after thermal treatment of a TCE-contaminated aquifer. Environ Sci Technol 39(15):5787–5795

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Friis AK, Albrechtsen H-J, Cox E, Bjerg PL (2006a) The potential for bioaugmentation after thermal treatment of TCE-contaminated groundwater: Laboratory experiments. J Contam Hydrol 88:235–248

    Google Scholar 

  • Friis AK, Heron G, Albrechtsen HJ et al (2006b) Anaerobic dechlorination and redox activities after full-scale Electrical Resistance Heating (ERH) of a TCE-contaminated aquifer. J Contam Hydrol 88:219–234

    Google Scholar 

  • Friis AK, Edwards E, Albrechtsen H-J et al (2007a) Dechloration after thermal treatment of a TCE-contaminated aquifer: laboratory experiments. Chemosphere doi:10.1016/j.chemosphere.2006.10.012

  • Friis AK, Heimann A, Jakobsen R et al (2007b) Temperature dependence of anaerobic TCE-dechlorination in a highly enriched Dehalococcoides-containing culture. Water Res 41:355–364

    Google Scholar 

  • Haston ZC, McCarty PL (1999) Chlorinated ethene half velocity coefficients (K S ) for Reductive dehlogenation. Environ Sci Technol 33(2):223–226

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • He JZ, Ritalahti KM, Aiello MR et al (2003) Complete detoxification of vinyl chloride by an anaerobic enrichment culture and identification of the reductively dechlorinating population as a Dehalococcoides species. Appl Environ Microb 69(2):996–1003

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • He JZ, Sung Y, Dollhopf ME et al (2002) Acetate versus hydrogen as direct electron donors to stimulate the microbial reductive dechlorination process at chloroethene-contaminated sites. Environ Sci Technol 36(18):3945–3952

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hendrickson ER, Payne JA, Young RM et al (2002) Molecular analysis of Dehalococcoides 16S ribosomal DNA from chloroethene-contaminated sites throughout North America and Europe. Appl Environ Microb 68(2):485–495

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Heron G, Carroll S, Nielsen SGD (2005) Full-scale removal of DNAPL constituents using steam enhanced extraction and electrical resistance heating. Ground Water Monit R 25(4):92–107

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Heron G, Christensen TH, Enfield CG (1998) Henry’s law constant for trichloroethylene between 10 and 95 degrees C. Environ Sci Technol 32(10):1433–1437

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Holliger C, Schraa G, Stams AJM et al (1993) A highly purified enrichment culture couples the reductive dechlorination of tetrachloroethene to growth. Appl Environ Microbiol 59(9):2991–2997

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Holliger C, Wohlfarth G, Diekert G (1998) Reductive dechlorination in the energy metabolism of anaerobic bacteria. Fems Microbiol Rev 22(5):383–398

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Krauter P, MacQueen D, Bishop D (1995) Effects on subsurface electrical heating and steam injection on the indigenous microbial community, UCRL-JC-122299. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore CA, USA

    Google Scholar 

  • Larsen TH, Schlag R, Andersen KL et al (2004) Dampoprensning af klorerede opløsningsmidler på tidligere industrigrund i Hedehusene 877 Miljøstyrelsen, Danish ministry of the Environment, Copenhagen

    Google Scholar 

  • Lu XX, Tao S, Bosma T et al (2001) Characteristic hydrogen concentrations for various redox processes in batch study. J Environ Sci Heal A 36(9):1725–1734

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Major DW, McMaster ML, Cox EE et al (2002) Field demonstration of successful bioaugmentation to achieve dechlorination of tetrachloroethene to ethene. Environ Sci Technol 36(23):5106–5116

    Google Scholar 

  • Maymo-Gatell X, Nijenhuis I, Zinder SH (2001) Reductive dechlorination of cis-1,2-dichloroethene and vinyl chloride by Dehalococcoides ethenogenes. Environ Sci Technol 35(3):516–521

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Shimotori T, Arnold WA (2003) Measurement and estimation of Henry’s law constants of chlorinated ethylenes in aqueous surfactant solutions. J Chem Eng Data 48(2):253–261

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Staudinger J, Roberts PV (2001) A critical compilation of Henry’s law constant temperature dependence relations for organic compounds in dilute aqueous solutions. Chemosphere 44(4):561–576

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sung Y, Ritalahti KM, Sanford RA et al. (2003) Characterization of two tetrachloroethene-reducing, acetate-oxidizing anerobic bacteria and their description as Desulfuromonas michiganensis sp nov. Appl Environ Microb 69(5):2964–2974

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • U.S. Army Corps of Engineers S. D. (2002) Field investigation report. EGDY phase II RI, Fort Lewis Logistics Center Superfund Site. Seattle, WA

  • Wilhelm E, Battino R, Wilcock RJ (1977) Low-pressure solubility of gases in liquid water. Chem Rev 77(2):219–262

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yang YR, McCarty PL (1998) Competition for hydrogen within a chlorinated solvent dehalogenating anaerobic mixed culture. Environ Sci Techn 32(22):3591–3597

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yu SH, Dolan ME, Semprini L (2005) Kinetics and inhibition of reductive dechlorination of chlorinated ethylenes by two different mixed cultures. Environ Sci Techn 39(1):195–205

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zehnder AJB (1988) Biology of anaerobic microorganisms. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. New York

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This research was supported by Technical University of Denmark through a Ph.D. scholarship. Additional funds were obtained from COWIfonden. The authors would like to thank Jens Schaarup Sørensen at Institute of Environment & Resources, Technical University of Denmark for technical assistance as well as Thermal Remediation Systems, and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Seattle District for providing the field site and help with sampling and logistics. SIREM Laboratories, Ontario, Canada is acknowledged for providing the KB-1TM-culture used in the microcosm experiments.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Environment & Resources, Technical University of Denmark, Building 115, Bygningstorvet, 2800, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark

    Anne Kirketerp Friis, Julie L. L. Kofoed, Hans-Jørgen Albrechtsen & Poul L. Bjerg

  2. TerraTherm Inc., 28900 Indian Point, Keene, CA, 93531, USA

    Gorm Heron

Authors
  1. Anne Kirketerp Friis
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Julie L. L. Kofoed
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Gorm Heron
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Hans-Jørgen Albrechtsen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Poul L. Bjerg
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Anne Kirketerp Friis.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Friis, A.K., Kofoed, J.L.L., Heron, G. et al. Microcosm evaluation of bioaugmentation after field-scale thermal treatment of a TCE-contaminated aquifer. Biodegradation 18, 661–674 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10532-006-9098-y

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10532-006-9098-y

Keywords

Search

Navigation