Combined anaerobic and aerobic biodegradation of perchloroethylene

Highly chlorinated compounds are easily dechlorinated under anaerobic conditions and the dechlorinated compounds may be completely mineralized in a subsequent aerobic step. This process was investigated with perchloroethyoene as a model substrate. The anaerobic process was performed in an UASB reactor with the dechlorinationg organism Dehalospirillum multivorans inoculated in the granulars. The subsequent aerobic degradation was done in a biofilm reactor with methanotropic organisms. The fate of the metabolites and the kinetic behavior of the reactors has been studied.