Biodegradation of Trichloroethylene in Finished Compost Materials

Abstract

Growing interest in the use of biofiltration technology to remove toxic organic compounds from gaseous waste streams has led to the investigation of various solid packing materials to support microbial populations capable of contaminant biodegradation. Finished compost material has been used as a biofiltration packing matrix for the treatment of noxious odors and the removal of several gaseous organic contaminants. Trichloroethylene (TCE), a widespread groundwater contaminant, has been shown to undergo aerobic biodegradation under a variety of environmental conditions. The current investigation focused on the capacities of five different finished compost materials to remove TCE from head space vapors in small reaction flasks. Due to the cometabolic nature of aerobic TCE biodegradation, enrichment of compost materials with propane or methane as primary substrates was tested as a means to stimulate biological TCE removal. Results indicate that all of the materials tested removed at least 85 percent of the a...