Simulation of bioremediation of chlorophenols in a sandy aquifer

Bioremediation of consecutive spills of phenol, 2-chlorophenol (2-MCP), 2,4,6-trichlorophenol (2,4,6-TCP) and pentachlororphenol as single pollutants was investigated in eight pilot plant scale sand columns system (100 cm l, 6 cm ID), simulating the conditions, which could be created in the saturated zone of a pristine aquifer following an accidental spill. Bioremediation in this study consisted of re-circulating local groundwater through the polluted site in a controlled manner following a closed-loop configuration. Intrinsic microbial development was enhanced by adding the necessary nutrients. Consecutive accidental spills of 480-mg phenol/kg soil; 140-mg 2-MCP/kg; 14-mg 2,4,6-TCP/kg soil and 17-mg pentachlorophenol (PCP)/kg soil under saturated conditions and a continuous specific discharge of 0.56 cm min^-1 were simulated. Degradation curves demonstrated first-order kinetics. Biodegradation rates (k1) were influenced by consecutive exposures. Calculated rate constants for biodegradation for sole substrate experiments were in the range of 0.06–0.15 day^-1, 0.21–1.20 day^-1, 0.04–2.28 day^-1 and 0.01–0.03 day^-1 for phenol, 2-MCP, 2,4,6-TCP and PCP, respectively. The acclimation of the aquifer to simulated consecutive accidental spills was found to be directly proportional to the cumulative load of each single chlorophenol. A relationship between the octanol water partitioning (Kow) values and the experimental degradation rates (k1) was found.