SEQUENTIAL DEHALOGENATION OF CHLORINATED ETHENES

Reductive dehalogenation of tetra- and trichloroethene to cis- and trans-1,2-dichloroethene in microcosms simulating groundwater environment has previously been demonstrated. In this study, anoxic microcosms containing organic sediment and water were spiked to contain 5 mg/L of one of the following compounds: 1,1-dichloroethene (1,1-DCE), cis-1,2-dichloroethene (CIS), or trans-1,2-dichloroethene (TRANS). After incubation in the dark at 25.degree. C for up to 6 months, contents were analyzed by gas chromatography and verified by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry in an attempt to identify sequential steps in the transformation process. Vinyl chloride (VC) was produced after 1-2 weeks of incubation in all spiked microcosms, but none was observed in sterile and unspiked controls. Chloroethane (CE) was produced only in microcosms spiked with CIS, indicating isomer specificity and the occurrence of mechanisms other than reductive dechlorination. Kinetic parameters associated with the microbial dehalogenation of 1,1-DCE, CIS, and TRANS were calculated.