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Environmental Technology Listing
Title of Listing:
Anaerobic PCB Dechlorinating Granular Consortia
Category:
Treatment Technologies
Subcategory:
 *Soil, All Listings
Media:
Sediments
Contaminants:
PCBs
Web Site:
Email:
jain@mbi.org
Technology Description:

BIOREMEDIATION - NOT OTHERWISE SPECIFIED

          MBI has designed and evaluated a dechlorination technology utilizing self-immobilized anaerobic microbial granules as a delivery system to treat PCB-contaminated lake and river sediments. These anaerobic granules are composed of facultative bacteria and anaerobic hydrolytic-fermentative, acetogenic, sulfate-reducing, and methanogenic bacteria. The granular structure helps to protect the anaerobic bacteria from unfavorable environmental conditions such as changes in pH and exposure to oxygen. It is proposed that lake and river sediments contaminated with PCBs can be "seeded" with our granules and carry out dechlorination in situ.

          The key to the success of our anaerobic granules is that they can carry out selective dechlorination of highly chlorinated PCB mixtures, dechlorinating at the meta, para, and ortho positions. The anaerobic dechlorinating granules are tolerant of transient exposure to oxygen, are mass producable, and maintain their dechlorinating activities for long periods of time. We have also shown an appreciable amount of dechlorination at environmentally relevant temperatures.

          Our dechlorination technology is unique to other systems because it offers complete destruction of PCBs in situ to acceptable levels without the need to dredge the sediments from the river or lake system. These granules also can be used for an on-site slurry reactor to treat PCB-contaminated sediments and soils.

          Michigan Biotechnology Institute's (MBI) anaerobic microbial consortia are capable of dechlorinating PCBs present in soils, sludges, and sediments to environmentally acceptable concentrations. We have shown the capability to dechlorinate Aroclors 1242, 1254, and 1260 in sediments at concentrations as high as 2,000 ppm with little accumulation of mono-and dichlorobiphenyls. Secondary contaminants such as heavy metals and oil or grease have had little effect on the dechlorination of PCBs with our anaerobic granules.
Performance Status/
Limitations:

Performance Status:

          MBI's dechlorinating anaerobic granules have been demonstrated successfully at bench-scale utilizing four liter reaction vessels containing two liters of actual contaminated sediment.

          Our anaerobic granules have been mass produced in a 34-liter upflow anaerobic reactor while maintaining the dechlorinating activity. A pilot-scale 1.2 cubic meter reactor is currently under construction.

          MBI is currently seeking a partner to test this PCB-dechlorinating technology at field scale.

          Limitations:

          MBI's dechlorinating granules may be affected by extremely high levels of heavy metals or secondary organic pollutants, but they are not affected when concentrations of these contaminants are lower. Bioavailability of PCBs in contaminated sediments that are high in organic matter such as oil and grease may slow the dechlorination rate, causing longer reaction times for complete dechlorination of the PCBs.
Topics
Bioremediation/Biodegradation, Technologies, Treatment/Remediation
Additional Topics/Tags/Keywords
Bioremediation, In-Situ

Organization:
MBI International
Address:
3900 Collins Road
Phone:
DescriptionNumber
City:
Lansing
1.
Primary (517) 336-4626
State/Province/Territory:
MI
2.
Zip/Postal Code:
48910
3.
Country:
United States
4.
Fax:(517) 337-2122
Branch Locations: