title: Remediation of a chlorinated aromatic hydrocarbon in water by photoelectrocatalysis.
abstract: Photoelectrocatalysis driven by visible light offers a new and potentially powerful technology for the remediation of water contaminated by organo-xenobiotics. In this study, the performance of a visible light-driven photoelectrocatalytic (PEC) batch reactor, applying a tungsten trioxide (WO(3)) photoelectrode, to degrade the model pollutant 2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP) was monitored both by toxicological assessment (biosensing) and chemical analysis. The bacterial biosensor used to assess the presence of toxicity of the parent molecule and its breakdown products was a multicopy plasmid lux-marked E. coli HB101 pUCD607. The bacterial biosensor traced the removal of 2,4-DCP, and in some case, its toxicity response suggests the identification of transient toxic intermediates. The loss of the parent molecule, 2,4-DCP determined by HPLC, corresponded to the recorded photocurrents. Photoelectrocatalysis offers considerable potential for the remediation of chlorinated hydrocarbons, and that the biosensor based toxicity results identified likely compatibility of this technology with conventional, biological wastewater treatment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant and Soil Science, Cruickshank Building, University of Aberdeen, St. Machar Drive, Aberdeen AB24 3UU, Scotland, UK. s.nissen@abdn.ac.uk
authors.forename: Silke
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nissen
authors.forename: Bruce D
authors.initials: BD
authors.lastname: Alexander
authors.forename: Ilyas
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Dawood
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tillotson
authors.forename: Richard P K
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Wells
authors.forename: Donald E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Macphee
authors.forename: Kenneth
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Killham
mesh_terms: D019149:Bioreactors; D002384:Catalysis; D002733:Chlorophenols; D055664:Electrochemical Techniques; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000378:metabolism; D008027:Light; D023382:Toxicity Tests, Acute; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D018508:Water Purification / Q000379:methods*; D015262:Xenobiotics
chemical_list: D002733:Chlorophenols; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D015262:Xenobiotics; C004762:2,4-dichlorophenol