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Biocatalytic dechlorination of trichloroethylene with bio‐palladium in a pilot‐scale membrane reactor
Author(s) -
Hennebel Tom,
Simoen Henri,
De Windt Wim,
Verloo Marc,
Boon Nico,
Verstraete Willy
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
biotechnology and bioengineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.136
H-Index - 189
eISSN - 1097-0290
pISSN - 0006-3592
DOI - 10.1002/bit.22138
Subject(s) - trichloroethylene , chemistry , groundwater remediation , formic acid , formate , environmental chemistry , environmental remediation , chlorine , dehalococcoides , water treatment , reductive dechlorination , human decontamination , shewanella oneidensis , vinyl chloride , inorganic chemistry , biodegradation , contamination , waste management , organic chemistry , catalysis , ecology , polymer , genetics , bacteria , engineering , copolymer , biology
Trichloroethylene (TCE) is a toxic and recalcitrant groundwater pollutant. An innovative technology using microbial produced Pd(0) nanoparticles for the remediation of TCE contaminated groundwater was developed. The nanoscale bio‐Pd particles were precipitated on the biomass of Shewanella oneidensis and hydrogen gas, formate, or formic acid were used as hydrogen donors. Ethane turned out to be the only organic degradation product and no intermediate chlorinated reaction products were detected. Subsequently bio‐Pd was implemented in a plate membrane reactor (MR) for the treatment of water containing TCE. In a continuous MR system, containing 50 mg L −1 bio‐Pd, removal rates up to 2,515 mg TCE day −1 g −1 Pd were achieved with H 2 gas as hydrogen donor. The measured chloride mass balance confirmed the removal rates. This work shows that a complete, efficient and rapid removal of TCE was achieved with bio‐Pd and that a MR system containing bio‐Pd and supplied with hydrogen gas offers an alternative for the current remediation technologies of water contaminated with TCE. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2009;102: 995–1002. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.