title: Evaluation of three activated carbons for combined adsorption and biodegradation of PCBs in aquatic sediment.
abstract: Three commercial granular activated carbons (GACs) were studied at laboratory scale with a view to the combined adsorption and biodegradation of PCBs in aquatic sediment. The three GACs, with contrasting physico-chemical characteristics, all show a high adsorption of PCBs and are thus capable of reducing aqueous pollutant concentrations. After a one-month incubation with 'Aroclor 1242'-spiked sediment, the three GACs were each colonized by a multispecies biofilm, although with different amounts of attached bacterial biomass and significantly distinct genetic bacterial communities; interestingly, the highest bacterial biomass was attached to the microporous vegetable GAC. The multispecies biofilms developed on the three GACs were all predominantly composed of Proteobacteria, especially the β-, γ- and δ- subclasses, Chloroflexi and Acidobacteria, with genera previously found in environments containing PCBs or biphenyls, or able to perform cometabolic and direct PCB degradation. After an eight-month incubation under aerobic conditions, it was only the vegetable Picabiol GAC, with its low microporous volume, high total surface area and acidic property, that showed a significant (21%) reduction of tri- through penta-CB. Our results suggest that PCB bio-transformation by the bacterial community attached to the GAC is influenced by GAC's physico-chemical characteristics. Thus, a properly selected GAC could effectively be used to a) sequestrate and concentrate PCB from contaminated aquatic sediment and b) act as a support for efficient PCB degradation by an autochthonous bacterial biofilm.
authors.affiliation: BRGM - Water, Environment & Ecotechnology Division (D3E), 3 av. Claude Guillemin, 45060 Orléans, Cedex 2, France.
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mercier
authors.affiliation: BRGM - Water, Environment & Ecotechnology Division (D3E), 3 av. Claude Guillemin, 45060 Orléans, Cedex 2, France.
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Joulian
authors.affiliation: BRGM - Water, Environment & Ecotechnology Division (D3E), 3 av. Claude Guillemin, 45060 Orléans, Cedex 2, France.
authors.forename: Caroline
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Michel
authors.affiliation: BRGM - Laboratory Division, 3 av. Claude Guillemin, 45060 Orléans, Cedex 2, France.
authors.forename: Pascal
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Auger
authors.affiliation: BRGM - Laboratory Division, 3 av. Claude Guillemin, 45060 Orléans, Cedex 2, France.
authors.forename: Stéphanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Coulon
authors.affiliation: BRGM - Laboratory Division, 3 av. Claude Guillemin, 45060 Orléans, Cedex 2, France.
authors.forename: Laurence
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Amalric
authors.affiliation: Université Lyon 1, INSA-Lyon, MATEIS CNRS UMR 5510, 7 av. Jean Capelle, 69621 Villeurbanne, France.
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Morlay
authors.affiliation: BRGM - Water, Environment & Ecotechnology Division (D3E), 3 av. Claude Guillemin, 45060 Orléans, Cedex 2, France. Electronic address: f.battaglia@brgm.fr.
authors.forename: Fabienne
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Battaglia-Brunet
mesh_terms: D000327:Adsorption; D001140:Aroclors / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D001419:Bacteria / Q000378:metabolism; D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D002244:Carbon / Q000737:chemistry*; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000737:chemistry / Q000382:microbiology*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D001140:Aroclors; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; C027423:aroclor 1242; D002244:Carbon
keywords: Bacterial biofilm; Granular activated carbon (GAC); Polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB); Sediment remediation