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This study investigates a sequential bioelectrochemical system for PCE remediation using two membrane-less microbial electrolysis cells in series—a reductive biocathode for anaerobic dechlorination and an oxidative bioanode for aerobic degradation of low-chlorinated intermediates. When feeding solution shifted from mineral medium to synthetic groundwater containing sulfate and nitrate, PCE removal efficiency temporarily decreased from 99% to 85%, accompanied by reduced D. mccartyi abundance. The system self-adapted by increasing current to accommodate competing sulfate and nitrate reduction, ultimately restoring PCE removal while revealing complex electron partitioning among multiple reduction pathways.

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System
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Abstract

Chlorinated aliphatic hydrocarbons (CAHs) are common groundwater contaminants due to their improper use in several industrial activities. Specialized microorganisms are able to perform the reductive dechlorination (RD) of high-chlorinated CAHs such as perchloroethylene (PCE), while the low-chlorinated ethenes such as vinyl chloride (VC) are more susceptible to oxidative mechanisms performed by aerobic dechlorinating microorganisms. Bioelectrochemical systems can be used as an effective strategy for the stimulation of both anaerobic and aerobic microbial dechlorination, i.e., a biocathode can be used as an electron donor to perform the RD, while a bioanode can provide the oxygen necessary for the aerobic dechlorination reaction. In this study, a sequential bioelectrochemical process constituted by two membrane-less microbial electrolysis cells connected in series has been, for the first time, operated with synthetic groundwater, also containing sulphate and nitrate, to simulate more realistic process conditions due to the possible establishment of competitive processes for the reducing power, with respect to previous research made with a PCE-contaminated mineral medium (with neither sulphate nor nitrate). The shift from mineral medium to synthetic groundwater showed the establishment of sulphate and nitrate reduction and caused the temporary decrease of the PCE removal efficiency from 100% to 85%. The analysis of the RD biomarkers (i.e., Dehalococcoides mccartyi 16S rRNA and tceA, bvcA, vcrA genes) confirmed the decrement of reductive dechlorination performances after the introduction of the synthetic groundwater, also characterized by a lower ionic strength and nutrients content. On the other hand, the system self-adapted the flowing current to the increased demand for the sulphate and nitrate reduction, so that reducing power was not in defect for the RD, although RD coulombic efficiency was less.

Keywords

Reductive dechlorinationDehalococcoidesNitrateEnvironmental chemistryVinyl chlorideMicroorganism

Identifiers

DOI
10.3390/pr9030405
Journal
Processes
Year
2021