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Microorganisms to Combat Pollution pp 141–160Cite as

Versatility of soil column experiments to study biodegradation of halogenated compounds under environmental conditions

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Abstract

Soil column experiments were performed to obtain insight in the different biological and physico-chemical processes affecting biodegradation of halogenated compounds under natural conditions in a water infiltration site. Lower chlorinated aromatic compounds could be degraded under aerobic conditions, whereas highly chlorinated compounds and chlorinated aliphatic compounds were mainly transformed under anaerobic conditions. Microorganisms which derive energy from reductive dechlorination were enriched and characterized. It was found that microbes could adapt to using chlorinated benzenes by evolution of new enzyme specificities and by exchange of genetic material. For halogenated pollutants, which are generally hydrophobic, sorption processes control the concentration available for biodegradation. The effects of very low concentrations of halogenated compounds on their biodegradability are described. The use of isolated bacterial strains to enhance biodegradation was evaluated with respect to their temperature-related activity and to their adhesion properties.

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Abbreviations

3-CB:

3-chlorobenzoate

DCB:

dichlorobenzene

HCH:

hexachlorocyclohexane

IS:

insertion sequence

PER:

tetrachloroethylene

Smin :

minimal substrate concentration for growth

TCB:

trichlorobenzene

TRI:

trichloroethylene

λ:

filtration coefficient

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Author notes

  1. Jan Roelof van der Meer & Alexander J. B. Zehnder

    Present address: EAWAG/ETH, CH-8600, Dübendorf, Switzerland

  2. Christof Holliger

    Present address: EAWAG/ETH, CH-6047, Kastanienbaum, Switzerland

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Microbiology, Wageningen Agricultural University, Hesselink van Suchtelenweg 4, 6703 CT, Wageningen, The Netherlands

    Jan Roelof van der Meer, Tom N. P. Bosma, Wil P. de Bruin, Hauke Harms, Christof Holliger, Huub H. M. Rijnaarts, Marijke E. Tros, Gosse Schraa & Alexander J. B. Zehnder

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  1. Jan Roelof van der Meer
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  2. Tom N. P. Bosma
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  3. Wil P. de Bruin
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  4. Hauke Harms
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  5. Christof Holliger
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  6. Huub H. M. Rijnaarts
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  7. Marijke E. Tros
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  8. Gosse Schraa
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  9. Alexander J. B. Zehnder
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Molecular Microbiology & Biotechnology, Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel

    E. Rosenberg

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van der Meer, J.R. et al. (1992). Versatility of soil column experiments to study biodegradation of halogenated compounds under environmental conditions. In: Rosenberg, E. (eds) Microorganisms to Combat Pollution. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-1672-5_11

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-1672-5_11

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