Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Bioavailability of pentachlorophenol to acclimatised bacteria under batch and flow-through conditions

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Biodegradation of organic contaminants in multi-phase systems, such as soils and aquifers, is often limited by the extent and the rate of contaminant sorption onto the solid matrix. However, information about biodegradation in complex matrices is largely limited to studies of closed systems under batch conditions in which potential bioavailability is characterised by the aqueous-phase concentration of a contaminant. There is little knowledge regarding the influence of flow-through conditions on the availability of contaminants to microbes (contaminant bioavailability). Thus, the aim of this study was to assess and compare contaminant bioavailability, in the presence of a sorptive medium, under both batch and flow-through conditions. Accordingly, experiments were designed in which pentachlorophenol (PCP) was introduced into a mixture of inoculated silica sand and a PCP-retaining resin, under either batch or flow-through (columns) conditions. The results indicated that an increase in the amount of resin (0.1–0.2 g) clearly lowered PCP availability to microbes after 170 h under batch conditions (30 and 45% respectively); whereas, the initial decrease in bioavailability observed under flow-through conditions (45 and 70% respectively) was reversed and no longer observable after 170 h. This increase in PCP availability was linked to an improvement in the contaminant biodegradation capacity from 0.03 to 0.13 mg·l−1·h−1 over 200 h.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1.
Fig. 2.
Fig. 3.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Al-Bashir B, Hawari J, Leduc R, Samson R (1994) Behavior of nitrogen-substituted naphtalenes in flooded soil- Part I. sorption/desorption and biodegradation. Water Res 28: 1817-1825

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Alexander M (1995) How toxic are toxic chemicals in soil ? Environ Sci Technol 29: 2713-2717

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Barbeau C, Deschênes L, Karamanev D, Comeau Y, Samson R (1997) Bioremediation of pentachlorophenol-contaminated soil by bioaugmentation using activated soil. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 48: 745-752

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Beaulieu M, Bécaert V, Deschênes L, Villemur R (2000) Evolution of bacterial diversity during enrichment of PCP-degrading activated soils. Microb Ecol 40: 345-355

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bécaert V, Beaulieu M, Gagnon J, Villemur R, Deschênes L, Samson R (1999) Activation of an indigenous microbial consortium for bioaugmentation of soil contaminated with wood-preservation compounds. In: Alleman BC, Leeson A (eds) Bioremediation of Nitroaromatic and Hallogenated Compounds, Batelle Press, Columbus, OH, pp 89.

  • Carmichaels LM, Christman RF, Pfaender FK (1997) Desorption and mineralization kinetics of phenantrene and chrysene in contaminated soils. Environ Sci Technol 31: 126-132

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Devinny JS, Deshusses MA, Webster TS (1998). In: Biofiltration for air pollution control, CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL.

  • Gordon AS, Millero FJ (1985) Adsorption mediated decrease in the biodegradation rate of organic compounds. Microb Ecol 11: 289-298

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Greer LE, Shelton DR (1992) Effect of inoculant strain and organic matter content on kinetics of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid degradation in soil. Appl Environ Microbiol 58: 1459-1465

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Guerin WF, Boyd SA (1992) Differential bioavailability of soil-sorbed naphtalene to two bacterial species. Appl Environ Microbiol 58: 1142-1152

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Guerin WF, Boyd SA (1997) Bioavailability of naphtalene associated with natural and synthetic sorbents. Water Res 31: 1504-1512

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hale DD, Reineke W, Wiegel J (1994) Chlorophenol degradation. In: Rasol Chaudry G (eds) Biological degradation and bioremediation of toxic chemicals, Diosconides Press, Portland, OR.

  • Hatzinger PB, Alexander M (1997) Biodegradation of organic compounds sequestered in organic solids or in nanopores within silica particles. Environ Toxicol Chem 16: 2215-2221

    Google Scholar 

  • Herman DC, Lenhard RJ, Miller RM (1997) Formation and removal of hydrocarbon residual in porous media: effects of attached bacteria and biosurfactants. Environ Sci Technol 31: 1290-1294

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • IPCS (1987) Environmental Health Criteria N° 71. Geneva, International Programme on Chemical Safety, WHO.

  • Kitunen VH, Valo RJ, Salkinoja-Salonen MS (1987) Contamination of soil around wood-peserving facilities by polychlorinated aromatic compounds. Environ Sci Technol 21: 96-101

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Knezovich JP, Harrison FL, Wilhelm RG (1987) The bioavailability of sediment-sorbed organic chemicals: a review. Water Air Soil Poll 32: 233-245

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lee LS, Rao PSC, Nkedi-Kizza P, Delfino JJ (1990) Influence of solvent and sorbent characteristics on distribution of pentachlorophenol in octanol-water and soil-water systems. Environ Sci Technol 24: 654-661

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lin J-E, Wang HY (1991) Degradation of pentachlorophenol by non-immobilized, immobilized and co-immobilized Arthrobacter cells. J Ferment Bioeng 72: 311-314

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Luthy RG, Aiken GR, Brusseau ML, Cunningham SD, Gschwend PM, Pignatello JJ, Reinhard M, Traina SJ, Weber Jr WJ, Westall JC (1997) Sequestration of hydrophobic organic contaminants by geosorbents. Environ Sci Technol 31: 3341-3347

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mueller JG, Lantz SE, Ross D, Colvin RJ, Middaugh DP, Pritchard PH (1993) Strategy using bioreactors and specially selected microorganisms for bioremediation of groundwater contaminated with creosote and pentachlorophenol. Environ Sci Technol 27: 691-698

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Osswald P, Baveye P, Block JC (1996) Bacterial influence on partitioning rate during the biodegradation of styrene in a biphasic aqueous-organic system. Biodeg 7: 297-302

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Otte M-P, Gagnon J, Comeau Y, Matte N, Greer CW, Samson R (1994) Activation of an indigenous microbial consortium for bioaugmentation of pentachlorophenol/creosote contaminated soils. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 40: 926-932

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ramaswami A, Luthy RG (1997) Measuring and modeling physicochemical limitations to bioavailability and biodegradation. In: Hurst CJ (eds) Manual of environmental microbiology. ASM Press, Washington, DC

  • Van der Meer JR, Welen C, Nishino SF, Spain JC (1998) Evolution of a pathway of chlorobenzene metabolism leads to natural attenuation in contaminated groundwater. Appl Environ Microbiol 64: 4185-4193

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Weber JR WJ, McGinley PM, Katz LE (1991) Sorption phenomena in subsurface systems: concepts, models and effects on contaminant fate and transport. Water Res 25: 499-528

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • White JC, Kelsey JW, Hatzinger PB, Alexander M (1997) Factors affecting sequestration and bioavailability of phenantrene in soils. Environ Toxicol Chem 16: 2040-2045

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge the financial support from the industrial Chair partners: Alcan, Bell Canada, Cambior, Canadian Pacific Railway, CEAEQ, Hydro-Québec, Natural Science and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), Gaz de France—Électricité de France, Ministère de la Métropole et des affaires municipales du Québec, Petro-Canada, Solvay, Total-Fina-ELF, Ville de Montréal. Constructive discussions with Pr. Philippe Baveye as well as reviews from Dr. Dan Walker were greatly appreciated.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Chemical Engineering Department, Ecole Polytechnique de Montréal, succ. centre-ville, C.P. 6079, Montréal , (Québec), H3C 3A7 , Canada

    Y. Dudal, R. Samson & L. Deschênes

  2. Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Cornell University, Bradfield Hall, Ithaca, New York , 14853-1901, USA

    A. R. Jacobson

Authors
  1. Y. Dudal
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. A. R. Jacobson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. R. Samson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. L. Deschênes
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to L. Deschênes.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Dudal, Y., Jacobson, A.R., Samson, R. et al. Bioavailability of pentachlorophenol to acclimatised bacteria under batch and flow-through conditions. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 63, 460–465 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-003-1259-x

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-003-1259-x

Keywords

Search

Navigation