Molecular and Physiological Characterization of Anaerobic Microbial Communities that Reductively Dechlorinate Chlorinated Ethenes

University Of California-Berkeley, Berkeley CA

Investigators

Abstract

0104740 Alvarez-Cohen The objectives of this research are to characterize the microbial diversity in consortia capable of reductively dechlorinating chlorinated ethenes to determine the roles of different physiological groups in those reactions, to isolate pure cultures capable of complete dechlorination of trichloroethene (TCE), and to construct simple consortia capable of rapid, stable growth and efficient, complete dechlorination of TCE. Various molecular techniques will be used in this study, including clone library construction/analysis, terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) analysis, and fluorescence in-situ hybridization (FISH) analysis. The anticipated results of this study will provide fundamental information on the diversity, physiology and biochemistry of microbial species involved in complete reductive dechlorination of chlorinated ethenes. This information is needed for designing efficient treatment processes for remediating chlorinated ethene contaminated sites. This research project will advance the development of molecular biological techniques as tools for evaluating and monitoring reductive dechlorination in contaminated subsurface environments. Also, it could lead to the development of microbial consortia appropriate for application in bioaugmentation strategies for site remediation. ***