Abstract
This study investigated the organohalide-respiring bacteria (OHRB) and the supporting microbial populations operating in a pilot scale plant employing poly-3-hydroxybutyrate (PHB), a biodegradable polymer produced by bacteria from waste streams, for the in situ bioremediation of groundwater contaminated by chlorinated solvents. The bioremediation was performed in ground treatment units, including PHB reactors as slow release source of electron donors, where groundwater extracted from the wells flows through before the re-infiltration to the low permeability zones of the aquifer. The coupling of the biological treatment with groundwater recirculation allowed to drastically reducing the contamination level and the remediation time by efficiently stimulating the growth of autochthonous OHRB and enhancing the mobilization of the pollutants. Quantitative PCR performed along the external treatment unit showed that the PHB reactor may efficiently act as an external incubator to growing Dehalococcoides mccartyi, 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 harmless ethene. Next generation sequencing was performed to analyze the phylogenetic diversity of the groundwater microbiome before and after the bioremediation treatment and allowed the identification of the microorganisms working closely with organohalide-respiring bacteria.