Individual Biotransformation Rates in Chlorinated Aliphatic Mixtures

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Abstract
Studies using batch cultures and continuously fed attached-growth systems investigated the effect of mixtures of chlorinated aliphatics on the anaerobic biotransformation rates of individual components of the mixture. Dichloromethane (DCM), chloroform (CF), and 1,1,1-trichloroethane (TCA) were selected for study because of their frequent detection in groundwater. Biotransformation of CF and TCA occurred in all systems. When CF and TCA were fed together, transformation rates for both aliphatics were lower than when fed individually. DCM generally had minor to negligible effects on the transformation of CF and TCA, but in one case, it caused a slight but statistically significant decrease in TCA transformation (p = 0.05). DCM transformation was not observed when fed individually or in mixtures to batch resting cultures, so the effect of CF and TCA on DCM transformation could not be determined.