Anaerobic oxidation, chlorinated hydrocarbons

Aerobic, Anaerobic, and Combined Systems. The vast majority of in situ bioremediations ate conducted under aerobic conditions because most organics can be degraded aerobically and more rapidly than under anaerobic conditions. Some synthetic chemicals are highly resistant to aerobic biodegradation, such as highly oxidized, chlorinated hydrocarbons and polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Examples of such compounds are tetrachloroethylene, TCE, benzo(a)pyrene [50-32-8] PCBs, and pesticides. 

Chemical/Physical. Matheson and Tratnyek (1994) studied the reaction of fine-grained iron metal in an anaerobic aqueous solution (15 °C) containing chloroform (107 pM). Initially, chloroform underwent rapid dehydrochlorination forming methylene chloride and chloride ions. As the concentration of methylene chloride increased, the rate of reaction appeared to decrease. After 140 h, no additional products were identified. The authors reported that reductive dehalogenation of chloroform and other chlorinated hydrocarbons used in this study appears to take place in conjunction with the oxidative dissolution or corrosion of the iron metal through a diffusion-limited surface reaction. 

Under the oxidative pathway, chlorinated aliphatic hydrocarbons act as an electron donor. The presence of an electron acceptor, such as Fe, NOi, S04, or carbon dioxide, is required. According to Dolling et al (2006), only dichloromethane was known to have been dechlorinated via this pathway under anaerobic conditions therefore, this will not be evaluated further. 

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