Bioenhanced DNAPL Dissolution: Understanding how Microbial Competition, Biostimulation, and Bioaugmentation Affect Source Zone Longevity

The presence of dense non-aqueous phase liquids (DNAPLs) at many chlorinated ethene-contaminated sites can greatly extend the time frames needed to reduce dissolved contaminants to regulatory levels using bioremediation. However, it has been demonstrated that mass removal from chlorinated ethene DNAPLs can potentially be enhanced through dehalorespiration of dissolved contaminants near the NAPL-water interface. Although promising, the amount of "bioenhancement" that can be achieved under optimal conditions is currently not known, and the real significance and engineering potential of this phenomenon currently are not well understood, in part because it can be influenced by a complex set of factors, including DNAPL properties, hydrodynamics, substrate concentrations, and microbial competition for growth substrates. In this study it is hypothesized that: (1) different chlorinated ethene-respiring strains may dominate within different zones of a contaminant plume emanating from a DNAPL source zone due to variations in substrate availability, and microbial competition for chlorinated ethenes and/or electron donors; and (2) the outcome of competitive interactions near the DNAPL source zone will affect the longevity of DNAPL source zones by influencing the degree of dissolution bioenhancement, while the outcome of competitive interactions further downgradient will determine the extent of contaminant dechlorination. To demonstrate the validity of the proposed hypothesis, a series of simple, "proof-of-concept," mathematical simulations evaluating the effects of competitive interactions on the distribution of dehalorespirers at the DNAPL-water interface, the dissolution of tetrachloroethene (PCE), and extent of PCE detoxification were performed in a model competition scenario, in which Dehalococcoides ethenogenes and another dehalorespirer (Desulfuromonas michiganensis) compete for the electron acceptor (PCE) and/or electron donor. The model domain for this evaluation simulates a contaminant-source zone consisting of DNAPL ganglia trapped in a subsurface porous medium that slowly releases organic pollutants into the groundwater flowing past it. The model used in the simulations was based on a biokinetic model recently developed by Becker [Environ. Sci. Technol. 40(14):4473-4480] to describe competition among PCE-respiring populations in a homogenous continuously-stirred tank reactor. Becker's model was expanded by adding terms for chlorinated ethene partitioning between the DNAPL and aqueous phases, as well as advection and dispersion of aqueous chlorinated ethenes. The results of these preliminary simulations demonstrate that the outcome of competition between populations for growth substrates can have a significant impact on bioenhancement and, thus, on DNAPL source zone longevity. Although these proof-of- concept simulations do not incorporate all of the complexity of actual field systems, the modeling results are useful for identifying which parameters are important in determining the outcome of competition in the different scenarios and its impact on DNAPL dissolution. This information is needed to understand how biostimulation and bioaugmentation affect bioenhancement by stimulating different populations and develop bioremediation strategies that incorporate these treatment technologies while balancing the twin clean-up goals of reduced source longevity and complete detoxification.