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Bioremediation of groundwater contaminated with chlorinated solvents

Groundwater accounts for approximately 99% of the Earth’s freshwater. In Europe, around 10% of groundwater is estimated to be contaminated with chlorinated organic compounds, including tetrachloroethylene (PCE), trichloroethylene (TCE), dichloroethylene (DCE), and vinyl chloride (VC).

The bacterial processes of reductive dehalogenation and mineralization of these contaminants are studied both in situ at contaminated sites and in laboratory settings. These studies aim to optimize bioremediation strategies, monitor biological processes in the field, investigate the ecology of microbial communities in contaminated aquifers, and assess the impact of remediation efforts on the functional biodiversity of microorganisms.

Molecular techniques, such as metagenomics and real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) to quantify specific functional biomarkers, are applied directly to environmental samples. Concurrently, the biodegradation of contaminants is assessed through gas chromatography (GC-MS and GC-FID) and carbon isotopic analysis.