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MICROBIAL COMMUNITY CHANGES IN A CHLORINATED SOLVENTS POLLUTED AQUIFER OVER THE FIELD SCALE TREATMENT WITH POLY-3-HYDROXYBUTYRATE AS AMENDMENT
Matturro, B., L. Pierro, E. Frascadore, M.P. Papini, and S. Rossetti.
Frontiers in Microbiology 9:1664(2018)

This study investigated organohalide-respiring bacteria (OHRB) and supporting microbial populations operating in a pilot-scale plant employing poly-3-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) for the in situ bioremediation of groundwater contaminated by chlorinated solvents. Bioremediation was performed in ground treatment units where groundwater extracted from the wells flowed through before re-infiltration to the low permeability zones of the aquifer. Coupling biological treatment with groundwater recirculation reduced contamination level and remediation time by efficiently stimulating the growth of autochthonous OHRB and enhancing mobilization of pollutants. Quantitative PCR showed that the PHB reactor may efficiently act as an external incubator to growing Dehalococcoides mccartyi, which is known to be capable of fully converting chlorinated ethenes to innocuous end products. The slow-release source of electron donors for the bioremediation process allowed the establishment of a stable population of D. mccartyi mainly carrying bvcA and vcrA genes, which are implicated in the metabolic conversion of vinyl chloride to ethene. Next-generation sequencing performed to analyze the phylogenetic diversity of the groundwater microbiome before and after bioremediation treatment allowed identification of the microorganisms working closely with the organohalide-respiring bacteria. This article is Open Access at https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2018.01664/full.



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