Section Three
BIOLOGICAL:
BIOREMEDIATION AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
9    BIOLUMINESCENCE AND COMETABOLIC
DEGRADATION OF TOLUENE AND
TRICHLOROETHYLENE BY PSEUDOMONAS PUTIDA TVA8
Jan G. Pieters
Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering
The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996
Department of Agricultural Engineering
The University of Ghent, Belgium
John Sanseverino
Center for Environmental Biotechnology
The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996
Charles L. Wright, Kevin G. Robinson, Catherine L. Cheng,
Ke Liu, and Chris D. Cox
Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering
The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996
Staci R. Kehrmeyer, Bruce M. Applegate, and Gary S. Sayler
Center for Environmental Biotechnology
The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996
ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the toluene degradation kinetics of two Pseudomonas strains, P. putida Fl and
P. putida TVA8, in liquid batch are compared. Furthermore, the TCE degradation kinetics for
TVA8 are assessed. The relationship between toluene/TCE degradation and bioluminescence
production in P. putida TVA8 was explored.
INTRODUCTION
Trichloroethylene (TCE) is a widespread solvent used in a large variety of industrial processes.
Since it is also readily mobile in the environment, contamination of soils and groundwater by
TCE is a ubiquitous problem. Remediation is mostly based on removing the TCE and other
volatile organic compounds (VOCs) by soil vapor extraction, air stripping, or air sparging, resulting in the release of high volumes of air contaminated with low concentrations of VOCs.
Trichloroethylene, however, is considered a dangerous (carcinogenic) air pollutant. Hence, subsequent treatment of these air streams is required.
Treatment of these air streams is mainly based on adsorption of the contaminant to granular
activated carbon, on absorption in liquids, or on incineration. Although these techniques have
very high efficiencies (typically larger than 99%), they have some obvious disadvantages. Absorption and adsorption only turn a gas waste problem into a solid or liquid waste problem. Incineration has the disadvantage of releasing not only carbon dioxide (CO,) and water (H^O), but
also (very) small amounts of oxides of nitrogen, carbon monoxide, smoke, odors, and other undesirable compounds. Furthermore, since high inputs of fuel are required, this technique cannot
be considered sustainable.
52nd Purdue Industrial Waste Conference Proceedings, 1997, Ann Arbor Press, Chelsea. Michigan 48118. Printed in
U.S.A.
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