Microbial community characterization during trichloroethene (TCE) and 1,2-dichloroethane (1,2-DCA) degradation by an anaerobic microbial culture combined with carboxymethyl-cellulose-stabilized sulfidated nano zero-valent iron (CMC-S-nZVI)
Trichloroethene (TCE) and 1,2-dichloroethane (1,2-DCA) are chlorinated volatile organic compounds (cVOCs) commonly detected at sites contaminated by chlorinated solvents. Reductive dechlorination of cVOCs using carboxymethyl cellulose-stabilized sulfidated nanoscale zero-valent iron (CMC-S-nZVI) has proven effective for TCE but remains ineffective for 1,2-DCA. As a less toxic formulation of S-nZVI, CMC-S-nZVI was evaluated in this study in combination with an enrichment culture capable of transforming both TCE and 1,2-DCA into non-toxic end products. To investigate microbial responses to CMC-S-nZVI during the simultaneous treatment of these contaminants, microbial community dynamics were monitored using Illumina 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing of DNA samples collected throughout batch experiments.