Biodegradation of high concentrations of tetrachloroethene in a continuous flow column system

A long-term (2.5 years) study of the anaerobic biodegradation of high concentrations of perchloroethylene (PCE) was carried out in a continuously operated laboratory column filled with sand which was inoculated with biomass from an anaerobic digester. Concentrations of PCE fed to the column were increased from 12 mu M to over 600 mu M over 21 months, with methanol added as electron donor. Vinyl chloride (VC) was the terminal product of PCE dechlorination for the first 21 months at which point significant conversion of VC to ethylene (ETH) was detected. The onset of ETH production coincided with acetogenesis becoming the primary pathway for methanol metabolism. ETH production occurred in the column in the presence of PCE and TCE. Varying methanol:PCE molar ratios from 1.4 to 7.5 had little effect on the transformation of PCE and TCE to VC, The degradation of VC to ETH was much more sensitive, and VC accumulated when the methanol:PCE molar ratio dropped below 5.0. Withdrawal of PCE from the system for a 5 month period and maintenance of the column on methanol alone did not result in the loss of PCE degradation capability of the consortium.