Bioaugmentation Services
BCI is able to provide high-rate, PCE and TCE dechlorinating bacteria able to convert TCE completely to ethene, for potential inoculation of site soil and groundwater. Dechlorinating bacteria can be cultured from your site or, bacteria can be selected from BCI's culture collection, and provided in sufficient volume to inoculate an on-site bioreactor, or for direct injection into site wells.
BCI maintains "ethenogen" cultures which are adapted for growth in a wide range of different chloride and sulfate concentrations. Our ethene-producing cultures are also able to grow in high concentrations of PCE, TCE, DCE, and vinyl chloride, and convert them rapidly to ethene. BCI's cultures are always adapted for growth in site-groundwater prior to shipment.
BCI's cultures are certified as "Pathogen free" ( absence of Salmonella, Shigella, Listeria, Staphlococcus aureaus, Pseudomonas, E.coli, and Enterococci.)
BCI's newest culture for bioaugmentation is a high-rate degrader of TCA. This culture rapidly converts 1,1,1- trichloroethane completely to chloroethane. Chloroethane has been observed on several occasions, particularly under very low redox conditions, to be further dechlorinated to ethanesulfides. Chloroethane is also readily biodegradable under aerobic or methanotrophic conditions. Our cultures ability to dechlorinate TCA has been independently tested.
Basic Cultures Available for Bioaugmentation
| Culture | Organism | Application |
|---|---|---|
| BCI-e | Dehalococcoides ethenogenes (in mixed culture) |
Dechlorinates PCE, TCE, c-DCE, 1,1-DCE, vinyl chloride. Reduces sulfate |
| BCI-a | Dehalococcoides ethenogenes (in mixed culture) |
Dechlorinates TCA, 1,1-DCA, and chlorinated ethenes. Reduces sulfate |
| BCI-t | Dehalococcoides ethenogenes (in mixed culture) |
Dechlorinates Trichlorobenzene and Dichlorobenzenes to Chlorobenzene and biodegrades Toluene to CO2 |
Dehalococcoides Cultures For Use in Extreme Groundwater Environments*
It has been reported that some some extreme environmental conditions, such as high concentrations of chloroform, lead to inhibition of reductive dechlorination. In response, BCI has developed additional bioaugmentation cultures with abilities to dechlorinate under conditions which normally inhibit non-BCI cultures. These are listed below:
| Groundwater Conditions | Culture Capability of BCI’s Dehalococcoides |
|---|---|
| Saturated PCE and 300 ppm TCE | Grows in potentially inhibiting concentrations.
Dechlorinates to ethene |
| TCE and 2% Cl- | Grows in near-marine environmental conditions.
Dechlorinates to ethene |
| Mixture of TCE and TCA | Not inhibited by TCA*.
Dechlorinates TCE to ethene |
| Mixture of TCE and TCA (~50 ppm) | Not inhibited by TCA*
Dechlorinates TCA to chloroethane Dechlorinates TCE to ethene |
| Mixture of TCE and 5 ppm Chloroform | Not inhibited by chloroform*
Dechlorinates TCE to ethene Dechlorinates chloroform |
| 1,2 Dichloroethane (1,2 DCA) | Dechlorinates 1,2 DCA to ethene |
Teaming Relationships
To insure that BCI’s cultures are successfully used, we have established a policy for sale of our cultures. BCI offers a teaming relationship with engineering and environmental firms planning to bioaugment sites with our dehalorespiring cultures. Our efforts are intended to insure that site groundwater, prior to inoculation, will have a redox potential suitable for survival of Dehalococcoides, as well as sufficient electron donor and concentrations of phosphate and ammonia to permit in-situ growth of Dehalococcoides.
*Strains of Dehalococcoides such as KB-1 are reported to be inhibited by low concentrations of TCA (i.e. 0.7 ppm) and chloroform (some inhibition observed at 50 ppb, complete inhibition at 300 ppb CF) Duhamel et al. 2002."Comparison of anaerobic dechlorinating enrichment cultures maintained on tetrachloroethene, trichloroethene, cis-dichloroethene and vinyl chloride". Water Research 36:4193-4202.