The effect of oxygen exposure on the methanogenic activity of an anaerobic bacterial consortium

Abstract

Due to industrial, agricultural, and defense operations, chlorinated solvents, and their natural transformation products, have been found in drinking water, wastewater, and ground water throughout the industrialized world [1]. Further, such compounds represent the most prevalent organic groundwater contaminants in the U.S. [2]. Because many are priority pollutants and/or suspected carcinogens or mutagens, the movement, transformation, and fate of these contaminants in the environment is of interest [3]. For these compounds, in situ bioremediation has the potential to substantially reduce cleanup duration and cost, when compared with traditional pump-and-treat technologies [4].