Chromate fate and effect in bioelectrochemical systems for remediation of chlorinated solvents.

A continuous-flow bioelectrochemical reactor was developed in a previous study to address the bioremediation of groundwater contaminated by trichloroethene (TCE). The present report investigated the applicability of the same system in the presence of Cr(VI) and its possible inhibitory effect on dehalorespiring bacterial populations. Preliminary batch tests were performed at the optimal cathodic reducing potential for the reductive dechlorination (RD) of TCE (-0.