Enhancement of the biodegradability of aromatic groundwater contaminants

Groundwater (GW) from the Bitterfeld industrial region, Central Germany, is contaminated mainly with monochlorobenzene (MCB). Accordingly, current research addresses the development of feasible in situ groundwater remediation technologies. Although easily degradable under aerobic conditions, MCB persists in the essentially anaerobic Bitterfeld aquifer. Therefore, we focused on primary oxidation of MCB and the subsequent anaerobic biodegradability of MCB oxidation products by the indigenous microbial community. In groundwater microcosms, most efficient MCB removal was observed upon treatment with Fenton's reagent (H2O2 + Fe2+), which produces the highly reactive hydroxyl radical and Fe3+ simultaneously. Phospholipid fatty acid analysis following different treatments suggested respective shifts of the microbial community compositions, and indicated that Fenton's reagent had a rather beneficial than an adverse effect on biomass development. Potential metabolites of hydroxyl radical attack on MCB such as chlorohydroquinone, hydroquinone, catechol, resorcinol, and phenol were anaerobically degraded by the groundwater microbial community under Fe3+ -reducing conditions.