MORE | Spring 2018

Reductive Dechlorination of Trichloroethene Sustained by Microbial Chain Elongation

The objective of this research is to test the effectiveness of a novel approach for bioremediation of trichloroethylene (TCE) in soil and groundwater. This approach consists of reducing TCE to non-chlorinated, non-toxic ethene by utilizing the electron donor hydrogen produced from microbial chain elongating (MCE) cultures. Results thus far showed that TCE-reductively dechlorinating microorganisms can successfully use hydrogen produced from MCE to reduce TCE to ethene. Future experiments will be dedicated to the fundamental understanding of the synergy between reductive dechlorination and MCE, and optimizing this approach for sustainable dechlorination at contaminated sites.