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DEPENDENCE OF A HIGH-RATE, PCE-DECHLORINATING ENRICHMENT CULTURE ON METHANOGENIC ACTIVITY. (R825549C053)
Citation:
Adamson, D. T. AND G. F. Parkin. DEPENDENCE OF A HIGH-RATE, PCE-DECHLORINATING ENRICHMENT CULTURE ON METHANOGENIC ACTIVITY. (R825549C053). BIOREMEDIATION JOURNAL. American Chemical Society, Washington, DC.
Description:
The role served by the presence of methanogenic activity within a tetrachloroethene (PCE)-dechlorinating culture was investigated through a series of supplementation experiments. An acclimated lactate-enrichment culture (LEC 1) capable of rapidly converting PCE to ethene was supplemented with a 20% dilution (v/v) of one of three actively acetoclastic enrichment cultures or with filtered supernatant from each of these cultures. When this set of experiments was conducted during a period of inhibited acetoclastic activity in LEC 1, whole-culture amendments significantly decreased chlorinated ethene removal times (8 to 78%), while increasing methane production rates (92 to 275%). Supplementation with supernatant improved dechlorination rates relative to undiluted LEC 1 without significantly impacting methanogenesis, indicating that the benefit was provided directly to dechlorinating organisms via the secretion of extracellular components from the added culture. Because no benefit was observed when the experiment was repeated during a period of increased methanogenic activity in LEC 1, it was apparent that the catalytic or nutritional needs of specific dechlorinating organisms were satisfied when a non-dechlorinating population was more active. The results presented here suggest that survival of different members of a microbial community may be necessary to ensure effective remediation of the common pollutant PCE with a minimum of external amendments.