Microbial Consortium for 1,2-DCA Bioremediation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current bioremediation methods are ineffective for treating water contaminated with high concentrations of 1,2-dichloroethane (1,2-DCA) due to toxicity and recalcitrance, leading to limited degradation and potential inhibition of other pollutants, and existing solutions struggle to maintain dehalogenating activity at concentrations above 50 µM.
Innovation Solution
A consortium of microorganisms, specifically Geobacter sp., Pseudomonas sp., Clostridium sp., and Acidovorax sp., deposited as NCIMB 42687, which degrades 1,2-DCA to ethylene under anaerobic conditions without producing toxic intermediates, is tolerant to concentrations up to 4000 mg/L, and can be used in situ for bioremediation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional bioremediation methods are used to treat water contaminated with 1,2-DCA, then degradation of the pollutant is attempted, but the high concentration of 1,2-DCA (greater than 50 µM) becomes toxic to microorganisms and inhibits their dehalogenating activity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the degradation process into two distinct stages performed by different microorganisms: first, anaerobic dehalogenation by Geobacter and Clostridium converts 1,2-DCA to vinyl chloride; second, aerobic oxidation by Pseudomonas and Acinetobacter converts vinyl chloride to ethylene. This segmentation allows each microorganism to operate within its optimal concentration range, avoiding the toxicity issue that limits single-organism systems at high 1,2-DCA concentrations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite microbial system comprising four different species (Geobacter sp., Clostridium sp., Pseudomonas sp., and Acinetobacter sp.) that work synergistically. This composite consortium combines the advantages of each organism: Geobacter and Clostridium provide anaerobic dehalogenation capability with high 1,2-DCA tolerance, while Pseudomonas and Acinetobacter provide efficient aerobic oxidation of the intermediate product, together solving the toxicity problem that plagues individual microorganisms at high contaminant concentrations.
2Productivity
If chemical/physical treatment methods are used to treat contaminated water, then 1,2-DCA can be removed, but the treatment becomes very expensive and energy intensive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces energy-intensive mechanical and chemical treatment systems (such as thermal desorption, stripping, and advanced oxidation processes) with a biological system that uses microbial metabolism to degrade 1,2-DCA. The microbial consortium performs the degradation under ambient conditions (temperature, pressure) without requiring high energy inputs, thereby achieving cost-effective and energy-efficient remediation while maintaining high removal efficiency.
3Productivity
If extraction techniques with solvents are used to treat contaminated water, then 1,2-DCA can be concentrated and removed, but the treatment becomes very expensive and generates contaminated adsorbent materials that require disposal
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a self-service biological system where the microbial consortium directly degrades 1,2-DCA in situ, converting the contaminant into harmless end products (ethylene, carbon dioxide, water). This eliminates the need for extraction, concentration, and disposal steps that generate contaminated waste materials. The system performs both remediation and waste minimization simultaneously, as the microorganisms consume the pollutant as a substrate for their metabolism, leaving no contaminated adsorbent materials requiring disposal.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The consortium effectively reduces 1,2-DCA concentrations by degrading it to ethylene, maintaining activity at high contaminant levels, and can be applied in situ, overcoming the limitations of existing methods by ensuring efficient bioremediation of contaminated water bodies with concentrations exceeding previous treatment thresholds.
Implementation Method 1
the degradation activity of autochthonous and/or exogenous microorganisms, promoting the transformation of toxic organic compounds into harmless substances such as, for example, carbon dioxide, methane, water, inorganic salts
Implementation Method 2
Over recent years, research into dehalogenation by anaerobic microorganisms has been particularly intense. Numerous species of the Dehalococcoides, Dehalobacter, Desulfitobacterium and Dehalogenimonas genera have been shown to be able to couple the reductive dehalogenation of organohalogenated compounds
Data Source
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Figure 3A~3B
AI summary
The present invention relates to a consortium of microorganisms useful for the bioremediation of bodies of water contaminated with 1,2-dichloroethane (1,2-DCA). In particular, the present invention relates to a consortium of microorganisms able to degrade 1,2-DCA to ethylene, substantially without producing toxic halogenated intermediates, said consortium, when present in an aqueous liquid, preferably under anaerobic conditions, being tolerant to a concentration of 1,2-DCA in solution in said aqueous liquid greater than or equal to 1000 mg/L, preferably comprised between 1000 mg/L and 4000 mg/L, and more preferably comprised between 2000 mg/L and 4000 mg/L. In a second aspect, the present invention relates to a method for the bioremediation of a body of water contaminated by 1,2-DCA, where in said body of water the concentration of 1,2-DCA may be greater than or equal to 1000 mg/L, preferably comprised between 1000 mg/L and 4000 mg/L and more preferably comprised between 2000 mg/L and 4000 mg/L, which comprises placing in contact with said body of water, preferably under anaerobic conditions, the aforementioned consortium of microorganisms able to degrade the 1,2- DCA.