BIODEGRADATION OF ETHYLENE DIBROMIDE THROUGH COMETABOLIC MECHANISMS

摘要

Three laboratory-scale batch reactor studies were conducted to determine whether soil microbes could degrade ethylene dibromide (EDB) through cometabolic mechanisms. The cometabolic growth substrates investigated were propane, methane, and natural gas. The bacterial consortium was isolated from soils in a mineral salts medium. Reactors were constructed using 160 mL sterile serum bottles with initial EDB concentrations of 200μg/L. Each reactor was amended with propane, methane, or natural gas, then sealed and incubated. Controls were prepared without the addition of the consortium. In all active batch reactors, the ethylene dibromide concentration was reduced by >99% within 11 days of incubation. The laboratory results indicated that EDB could be biodegraded in the presence of propane, methane, and natural gas. Therefore, a technology such as cometabolic air sparging may show promising results for in situ bioremediation when applied in the field.