Biologically Mediated Abiotic Degradation (BMAD) of Chlorinated Ethenes: A New Conceptual Framework

Abstract

The primary objective ER-2532 was to evaluate whether magnetite and Fe-containing clay minerals reduced perchloroethene (PCE) and trichloroethene (TCE) alone and then in the presence of ferrous iron (Fe(II)) or sulfide (S(-II)). Our goal was to evaluate pathways and factors controlling abiotic degradation of PCE and TCE by reactive minerals and evaluate which aquifer properties might be used as indicators for abiotic natural attenuation rates in anoxic PCE and TCE plumes. We found that magnetite and reduced Fe-containing clay minerals alone did not reduce PCE and TCE under anoxic conditions. We observed no reduction of PCE and TCE when sulfide was added to magnetite and clay mineral suspensions. We did, however, find that both magnetite and Fe-containing clay minerals reduced PCE and TCE to acetylene in the presence of high concentrations of Fe(II). In both cases our analyses indicated a transient mineral phase formed suggesting that dynamic conditions and high Fe(II) concentrations that favor active precipitation of minerals could abiotically attenuate anoxic PCE and TCE plumes.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jun 01, 2019
Accession Number
AD1134946

Entities

People

  • Anke Neumann
  • David M. Cwiertny
  • Drew E Latta
  • Michelle M Scherer
  • Rula Deeb

Organizations

  • University of Iowa

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Alkenes
  • Buffers (Chemistry)
  • Chemical Synthesis
  • Chemistry
  • Diffraction
  • Ethylenes
  • Fungi
  • Groundwater
  • Monitoring
  • Organic Chemistry
  • Phyllosilicates
  • Spectra
  • Spectroscopy
  • Water
  • X Rays
  • X-Ray Diffraction

Fields of Study

  • Environmental science

Readers

  • Agricultural Chemistry/Soil Science
  • Groundwater Contamination Remediation.
  • Materials Science and Engineering.