G. Jin et Aj. Englande, BIODEGRADATION KINETICS OF CARBON-TETRACHLORIDE BY PSEUDOMONAS-CEPACIA UNDER VARYING OXIDATION-REDUCTION POTENTIAL CONDITIONS, Water environment research, 69(6), 1997, pp. 1094-1099
In recent years, considerable interest has been given to the in situ d
egradation of hazardous contaminants by stimulating indigenous microor
ganisms. Optimization of environmental conditions, especially oxidatio
n-reduction potential (ORP), for metabolism of hazardous constituents
by indigenous microorganisms may assist in cost- effective mitigation
by enhanced bioremediation. Pseudomonas cepacia, the predominant speci
es, was selected as the microorganism of study to evaluate ORP effects
on biodegradation of carbon tetrachloride (CT), a common contaminant
in many sites. Titanium (III) citrate was used to poise ORP at desired
levels. Results indicate that initial ORP appears to be critical for
initiating the CT degradation process. Substantial CT degradation occu
rred when cultures were poised at negative ORP conditions, while negli
gible CT removal was observed at oxidative ORP conditions. Accumulatio
n of chloroform (CF) produced by CT metabolism was not observed, which
may be attributed to its metabolism by P. cepacia and another pathway
that preclude CF generation. The maximum biodegradation rate was foun
d to occur at approximately -150 mv(2) and an overall substrate remova
l rate constant, K, of 6.9 x 10(-3) h(-1) was observed al an initial C
T concentration of 323 mu g/L.