BIODEGRADATION OF 1,1,1-TRICHLOROETHANE BY A CARBON TETRACHLORIDE-DEGRADING DENITRIFYING CONSORTIUM

A denitrifying consortium capable of degrading carbon tetrachloride (C T) was shown to also degrade 1,1,1-trichloroethane (TCA). Fed-batch ex periments demonstrated that the specific rate of TCA degradation by th e consortium was comparable to the specific rate of CT degradation (ap proximately 0.01 L/gmol/min) and was independent of the limiting nutri ent. Although previous work demonstrated that 4-50% of CT transformed by the consortium was converted to chloroform (CF), no reductive dechl orination products were detected during TCA degradation, regardless of the limiting nutrient. The lack of chlorinated TCA degradation produc ts implies that the denitrifying consortium possesses an alternate pat hway for the degradation of chlorinated solvents which does not involv e reductive dechlorination. (C) 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.