Removal of polychlorinated dioxins by semi-aerobic fed-batch composting with biostimulation of “Dehalococcoides”

A semi-aerobic, mesophilic, fed-batch composting (FBC) reactor loaded with household garbage was used to remove polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins/dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs). The reactor was packed with woodchips as the solid matrix and PCDD/F-contaminated soil or flyash and then operated at a waste-loading rate of 0.5 kg (wet wt) day- 1. All congeners of PCDD/Fs (initial concentration, 200–830 pmol g- 1 [dry wt]) were totally reduced during the over period of operation, with a half reduction time of 4 months. Direct cell counting and respiratory quinone profiling showed that the reactors at the fully acclimated stage harbored a high population density of bacteria (1011 g- 1 [dry wt]) with members of the Actinobacteria predominating. Real-time quantitative PCR showed that the population of “Dehalococcoides” and its phylogenetic relatives of Chloroflexi as the possible dechlorinators varied between at the order of 107 to 108 g- 1 (dry wt). A “Dehalococcoides”-containing dechlorinating culture from the soil-treating reactor was successfully enriched with a model PCDD/F compound, fthalide. 16S rRNA gene-targeted PCR-denaturated gradient gel electrophoresis and clone library analyses showed that this culture comprised at least three major phylogenetic groups of bacteria, Acidaminobacter, “Dehalococcoides,” and Rhizobium. These results suggest that the semi-aerobic FBC process is applicable for the bioremediation of PCDD/Fs and possibly other haloorganic compounds with the biostimulation of “Dehalococcoides” and its relatives as the potent dechlorinators.