�9 1994 by Humana Press Inc. All rights of any nature whatsoever reserved. 0273-2289/94/4801--0011503.00

Bioremediation of Contaminated Groundwater

K. G(JNTHER, *,1 D. SCHLOSSER, 1 H.-P. SCHMAUDER, 1 AND U. RAUSCH 2

1Friedrich.Schiller-Universit'at Jena, Biologisch.Pharmazeutische Fakult~t, lnstitut fhr

Mikrobiologie, Lehrstuhl Technische Mikrobiologie, Philosophenweg 12 07743 Jena; and 2Umweltlabor der Management, und Dienstleistungs GmbH, B~Shlen

ABSTRACT

Contaminated groundwater from industrial areas in former East Germany was biologically treated using lab-scale solid-state reactors. The ability of bacterial strains of the autochroneous microflora to utilize representative pollutants was tested.

Index Entries: Bioremediation; groundwater; hydrocarbons; BTEX; solid-state reactors.

Abbreviations: BTEX, benzene-toluene-ethylbenzene-xylenes; BODs, biochemical oxigen demand; COD, chemical oxigen demand; IR, infrared; PAH, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons; PCB, polychlor- inated biphenyls.

INTRODUCTION

Contamination of groundwater with several carbohydrates originating from petrol industries causes serious problems in some industrial areas in former East Germany. The present work deals with a concept for a bio- logical remediation of such polluted groundwater.

"Author to whom all correspondence and reprint requests should be addressed.

Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology 1 1 Vol. 48, 1994

12 Gllnther et al.

Table 1 Representative Concentrations of Several Parameters and Compounds in a Contaminated Ground Water

Parameter/compound

Concentration

Minimum Maximum

COD, mg/L 390 650 BODs, mg/L 75 335 TOC, mg/L 30.5 120 BTEX, mg/L 0.5 115 Phenolic compounds, mg/L 1.5 13 PAH, gg/L 3 142 PCB, ag/L < 1 Total hydrocarbons (IR), mg/L 20 900

The main pollutants were aromatic compounds of the BTEX-type, phenol and its alkylated derivatives, and, in lower concentrations, also polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (Table 1). Special problems originate from the volatility of some compounds, i.e., in some cases relatively low concentration of distinct hydrocarbons, and abrupt changes in waste compound composition and concentration.

RESULTS

Distinct strains as well as mixed communities and enrichment cultures of the authochtoneous microflora were characterized with respect to their ability to metabolize several aromatic carbohydrates under metabolic and cometabolic conditions. This includes investigations on the ability of dis- tinct strains to utilize representative pollutants at varying concentrations (Fig. 1).

Original groundwaters were biologically treated under several reaction conditions, e.g., with nonimmobilized cells or in lab-scale solid-state reac- tors, under semicontinuous and continuous conditions (Fig. 2A-D). In the latter case, carrier materials with different hydrophobicities for cell immobilization (Carrier 1: more hydrophilic; Carrier 2: more hydrophobic; Fig. 2D) were used.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

The authors are thankful to DECHEMA (K. G.) and BMFT for help and support.

Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology Vol. 48, 1994

Bioremediation of Groundwater 13

Concen t ra l t on {raM) Ai0solOance {540 nm) 0.4

A x "0,]

~ : 0 , 2

2 4 6

t (hi

~ phenol "-~-" a- C,esDI "-N- A0sor bmnce

0,1

Concenl ra i~on (mM] kDsor ioance (540 nrn) 0.4

1.5

C

]0,3

~ 10,2

10,1

j i i I 0

2 4 6 8

t (h )

~ P . e * o p ~ o-Cresol "-'v~- A D~ o, Di *ce

ConcenLrot~on (raM) Absosbance (540 rim) 0,4

2 B

1,S

, J

0.5

0 0 2 4 6

t (nj

~ Phe*Ol ~ o- f.,esol ~ Absofbsnce

,3

0.2

0.1

Conceq l ra l l on (m~a; Absor~ance (540 rim}

2 ~ N ~ 0.4

-0.3 ~,s] X

0,5

f

2 4 6

ln)

0,2

0,1

Fig. 1. Metabolization of o-Cresol by a strain isolated from groundwater using phenol as cosubstrate; concentration of phenol: 1 n~I/L, respectively; concentration of o-Cresol: A$0.1 mMFL, B: 0.5 mM/L, C: 1 rnM/L, D: 2 mM/L.

Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology Vol. 48, 1994

14 O~nther et al.

g i

- - i

C l

\

I i /

ol

o

<

++

0J

,,<

g o

o OL

m F - - -

E

- - Z | 5 o |

o '!_

. ~

o . . . N

13o "~0 " ~ I ~

~ ~ .~

~ o ~ o u ~

o ~

�9 ,., ~ ~

~ o .~0 ,.~

~ U

0

Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology Vol. 48, 1994