Biochemical and EPR-spectroscopic investigation into heterologously expressed vinyl chloride reductive dehalogenase (VcrA) from Dehalococcoides mccartyi strain VS.

Reductive dehalogenases play a critical role in the microbial detoxification of aquifers contaminated with chloroethenes and chlorethanes by catalyzing the reductive elimination of a halogen. We report here the first heterologous production of vinyl chloride reductase VcrA from Dehalococcoides mccartyi strain VS. Heterologously expressed VcrA was reconstituted to its active form by addition of hydroxocobalamin/adenosylcobalamin, Fe(3+), and sulfide in the presence of mercaptoethanol.

Hydrogenase-independent uptake and metabolism of electrons by the archaeon Methanococcus maripaludis.

Direct, shuttle-free uptake of extracellular, cathode-derived electrons has been postulated as a novel mechanism of electron metabolism in some prokaryotes that may also be involved in syntrophic electron transport between two microorganisms. Experimental proof for direct uptake of cathodic electrons has been mostly indirect and has been based on the absence of detectable concentrations of molecular hydrogen. However, hydrogen can be formed as a transient intermediate abiotically at low cathodic potentials (<-414 mV) under conditions of electromethanogenesis.

Identification of a reductive tetrachloroethene dehalogenase in Shewanella sediminis.

The genome sequence of psychrophilic Shewanella sediminis revealed the presence of five putative reductive dehalogenases (Rdhs). We found that cell extracts of pyruvate/fumarate-grown S. sediminis cells catalysed reduced methyl viologen-dependent reductive dechlorination of tetrachloroethene (PCE) to trichloroethene (TCE) at a specific activity of approximately 1 nmol TCE min(-1) (mg protein)(-1).

Robustness of an aerobic metabolically vinyl chloride degrading bacterial enrichment culture.

Degradation of the lower chlorinated ethenes is crucial to the application of natural attenuation or in situ bioremediation on chlorinated ethene contaminated sites. Recently, within mixtures of several chloroethenes as they can occur in contaminated groundwater inhibiting effects on aerobic chloroethene degradation have been shown. The current study demonstrated that metabolic vinyl chloride (VC) degradation by an enrichment culture originating from groundwater was not affected by an equimolar concentration (50 μM) of cis-1,2-dichloroethene (cDCE).

Sequential reductive and oxidative biodegradation of chloroethenes stimulated in a coupled bioelectro-process.

This article for the first time demonstrates successful application of electrochemical processes to stimulate sequential reductive/oxidative microbial degradation of perchloroethene (PCE) in mineral medium and in contaminated groundwater. In a flow-through column system, hydrogen generation at the cathode supported reductive dechlorination of PCE to cis-dichloroethene (cDCE), vinyl chloride (VC), and ethene (ETH). Electrolytically generated oxygen at the anode allowed subsequent oxidative degradation of the lower chlorinated metabolites.

Application of electrolysis to stimulate microbial reductive PCE dechlorination and oxidative VC biodegradation.

A novel approach was applied to stimulate biodegradation of chloroethenes bya coupled bioelectro-process. In a flow-through column system, microbial dechlorination of tetrachloroethene to cis-dichloroethene, vinyl chloride, and ethene was stimulated by hydrogen produced by water electrolysis. Dechlorinating bacteria (Dehalococcoides spp.

Electromigration of microbial electron acceptors and nutrients: (II) transport in groundwater.

Bioremediation in contaminated aquifers is often limited by the availability of microbial electron acceptors and nutrients. In this study, electromigration of the electron acceptor nitrate was assessed in sandy model soil mixed with groundwater from a contaminated site, and compared with previous results obtained in soil mixed with demineralized water. The specific nitrate transport rate in soil with groundwater at a voltage gradient of 2 V/cm and 0.

Electromigration of microbial electron acceptors and nutrients: (I) transport in synthetic media.

Microbiological cleanup is a widely used in situ remediation strategy for organic soil and groundwater contaminations. However, often the availability of electron acceptors and nutrients are limiting factors for microbial pollutant degradation in the field. Electromigration represents a new approach for the transport of microbiological agents in soil.