KINETIC ANALYSIS OF COMETABOLIC TRICHLOROETYLENE (TCE) DEGRADATION BY NITRIFIERS

摘要

Trichloroethylene (TCE), which is extensively used in industrial dry-cleaning, textile manufacturing, petroleum, automative and metal industries is one of the most commonly detected orgaohalogen pollutants in industrial effluents, groundwater and soil. Up to date, no microorganism has been isolated which can grow using TCE as a sole carbon or energy source (Hyman et al. 1995). As an alternative to growth-based biodegradation, cometabolic biodegradation of TCE has received much attention in recent years. Here, a non-growth-supporting substrate is transformed through the catalysis of non-specific enzymes synthesized by bacteria in the presence of a growth substrate. The organism obtains no benefit from this transformation and the non-growth-supporting substrate may act as an inhibitor for growth substrate degradation.