A novel reductive dehalogenase, identified in a contaminated groundwater enrichment culture and in Desulfitobacterium dichloroeliminans strain DCA1, is linked to dehalogenation of 1,2-dichloroethane

A mixed culture dechlorinating 1,2-dichloroethane (1,2-DCA) to ethene was enriched from groundwater that had been subjected to long-term contamination. In the metagenome of the enrichment, a 7-kb reductive dehalogenase (RD) gene cluster sequence was detected by inverse and direct PCR. The RD gene cluster had four open reading frames (ORF) showing 99% nucleotide identity with pceB, pceC, pceT, and orf1 of Dehalobacter restrictus strain DSMZ 9455(T), a bacterium able to dechlorinate chlorinated ethenes. However, dcaA, the ORF encoding the catalytic subunit, showed only 94% nucleotide and 90% amino acid identity with pceA of strain DSMZ 9455(T). Fifty-three percent of the amino acid differences were localized in two defined regions of the predicted protein. Exposure of the culture to 1,2-DCA and lactate increased the dcaA gene copy number by 2 log units, and under these conditions the dcaA and dcaB genes were actively transcribed. A very similar RD gene cluster with 98% identity in the dcaA gene sequence was identified in Desulfitobacterium dichloroeliminans strain DCA1, the only known isolate that selectively dechlorinates 1,2-DCA but not chlorinated ethenes. The dcaA gene of strain DCA1 possesses the same amino acid motifs as the new dcaA gene. Southern hybridization using total genomic DNA of strain DCA1 with dcaA gene-specific and dcaB- and pceB-targeting probes indicated the presence of two identical or highly similar dehalogenase gene clusters. In conclusion, these data suggest that the newly described RDs are specifically adapted to 1,2-DCA dechlorination.     

Stereoselective Microbial Dehalorespiration with Vicinal Dichlorinated Alkanes

The suspected carcinogen 1,2-dichloroethane (1,2-DCA) is the most abundant chlorinated C₂ groundwater pollutant on earth. However, a reductive in situ detoxification technology for this compound does not exist. Although anaerobic dehalorespiring bacteria are known to catalyze several dechlorination steps in the reductive-degradation pathway of chlorinated ethenes and ethanes, no appropriate isolates that selectively and metabolically convert them into completely dechlorinated end products in defined growth media have been reported. Here we report on the isolation of Desulfitobacterium dichloroeliminans strain DCA1, a nutritionally defined anaerobic dehalorespiring bacterium that selectively converts 1,2-dichloroethane and all possible vicinal dichloropropanes and -butanes into completely dechlorinated end products. Menaquinone was identified as an essential cofactor for growth of strain DCA1 in pure culture. Strain DCA1 converts chiral chlorosubstrates, revealing the presence of a stereoselective dehalogenase that exclusively catalyzes an energy-conserving anti mechanistic dichloroelimination. Unlike any known dehalorespiring isolate, strain DCA1 does not carry out reductive hydrogenolysis reactions but rather exclusively dichloroeliminates its substrates. This unique dehalorespiratory biochemistry has shown promising application possibilities for bioremediation purposes and fine-chemical synthesis.     

Growth of Dehalobacter and Dehalococcoides spp. during Degradation of Chlorinated Ethanes

Mixed anaerobic microbial subcultures enriched from a multilayered aquifer at a former chlorinated solvent disposal facility in West Louisiana were examined to determine the organism(s) involved in the dechlorination of the toxic compounds 1,2-dichloroethane (1,2-DCA) and 1,1,2-trichloroethane (1,1,2-TCA) to ethene. Sequences phylogenetically related to Dehalobacter and Dehalococcoides, two genera of anaerobic bacteria that are known to respire with chlorinated ethenes, were detected through cloning of bacterial 16S rRNA genes. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis analysis of 16S rRNA gene fragments after starvation and subsequent reamendment of culture with 1,2-DCA showed that the Dehalobacter sp. grew during the dichloroelimination of 1,2-DCA to ethene, implicating this organism in degradation of 1,2-DCA in these cultures. Species-specific real-time quantitative PCR was further used to monitor proliferation of Dehalobacter and Dehalococcoides during the degradation of chlorinated ethanes and showed that in fact both microorganisms grew simultaneously during the degradation of 1,2-DCA. Conversely, Dehalobacter grew during the dichloroelimination of 1,1,2-TCA to vinyl chloride (VC) but not during the subsequent reductive dechlorination of VC to ethene, whereas Dehalococcoides grew only during the reductive dechlorination of VC but not during the dichloroelimination of 1,1,2-TCA. This demonstrated that in mixed cultures containing multiple dechlorinating microorganisms, these organisms can have either competitive or complementary dechlorination activities, depending on the chloro-organic substrate.     

Stereoselective microbial dehalorespiration with vicinal dichlorinated alkanes

The suspected carcinogen 1,2-dichloroethane (1,2-DCA) is the most abundant chlorinated C(2) groundwater pollutant on earth. However, a reductive in situ detoxification technology for this compound does not exist. Although anaerobic dehalorespiring bacteria are known to catalyze several dechlorination steps in the reductive-degradation pathway of chlorinated ethenes and ethanes, no appropriate isolates that selectively and metabolically convert them into completely dechlorinated end products in defined growth media have been reported. Here we report on the isolation of Desulfitobacterium dichloroeliminans strain DCA1, a nutritionally defined anaerobic dehalorespiring bacterium that selectively converts 1,2-dichloroethane and all possible vicinal dichloropropanes and -butanes into completely dechlorinated end products. Menaquinone was identified as an essential cofactor for growth of strain DCA1 in pure culture. Strain DCA1 converts chiral chlorosubstrates, revealing the presence of a stereoselective dehalogenase that exclusively catalyzes an energy-conserving anti mechanistic dichloroelimination. Unlike any known dehalorespiring isolate, strain DCA1 does not carry out reductive hydrogenolysis reactions but rather exclusively dichloroeliminates its substrates. This unique dehalorespiratory biochemistry has shown promising application possibilities for bioremediation purposes and fine-chemical synthesis.     

Complete lab-scale detoxification of groundwater containing 1,2-dichloroethane

The suspected carcinogenic solvent 1,2-dichloroethane (1,2-DCA) is the most abundant chlorinated C₂ groundwater pollutant on earth. However, an efficient reductive in situ detoxification technology for this compound is not known. Detoxification results of 1,2-DCA with the recently isolated anaerobic bacterium Desulfitobacterium dichloroeliminans strain DCA1 are presented. First, it was verified that strain DCA1 could compete for nutrients in the presence of fast-growing Enterococcus faecalis; the latter was observed in the enrichment culture from which strain DCA1 was isolated. Subsequently, lab-scale bioaugmentation of the strain to groundwater containing 40 mg 1,2-DCA/l indicated that the bacterium has strong metabolic activity under prevailing environmental conditions, converting the pollutant into ethene. During exponential growth, the maximum 1,2-DCA dechlorination rate exceeded 350 nmol chloride released per min per mg total bacterial protein. Growth and dechlorination within the community with autochthonous bacteria indicated a high competitive strength of strain DCA1. Interestingly this dechlorination process does not produce any toxic byproducts, such as vinyl chloride. Furthermore, complete groundwater detoxification happens within a short time-frame (days) and is robust in terms of bacterial competition, oxygen tolerance, high ionic strength, and pH range.     

Reductive Dechlorination of Chlorinated Ethenes and 1,2-Dichloroethane by “Dehalococcoides ethenogenes” 195

“Dehalococcoides ethenogenes” 195 can reductively dechlorinate tetrachloroethene (PCE) completely to ethene (ETH). When PCE-grown strain 195 was transferred (2% [vol/vol] inoculum) into growth medium amended with trichloroethene (TCE), cis-dichloroethene (DCE), 1,1-DCE, or 1,2-dichloroethane (DCA) as an electron acceptor, these chlorinated compounds were consumed at increasing rates over time, which indicated that growth occurred. Moreover, the number of cells increased when TCE, 1,1-DCE, or DCA was present. PCE, TCE, 1,1-DCE, and cis-DCE were converted mainly to vinyl chloride (VC) and then to ETH, while DCA was converted to ca. 99% ETH and 1% VC. cis-DCE was used at lower rates than PCE, TCE, 1,1-DCE, or DCA was used. When PCE-grown cultures were transferred to media containing VC or trans-DCE, products accumulated slowly, and there was no increase in the rate, which indicated that these two compounds did not support growth. When the intermediates in PCE dechlorination by strain 195 were monitored, TCE was detected first, followed by cis-DCE. After a lag, VC, 1,1-DCE, and trans-DCE accumulated, which is consistent with the hypothesis that cis-DCE is the precursor of these compounds. Both cis-DCE and 1,1-DCE were eventually consumed, and both of these compounds could be considered intermediates in PCE dechlorination, whereas the small amount of trans-DCE that was produced persisted. Cultures grown on TCE, 1,1-DCE, or DCA could immediately dechlorinate PCE, which indicated that PCE reductive dehalogenase activity was constitutive when these electron acceptors were used.     

Priority pollutant degradation by the facultative methanotroph, Methylocystis strain SB2

Methylocystis strain SB2, a facultative methanotroph capable of growth on multi-carbon compounds, was screened for its ability to degrade the priority pollutants 1,2-dichloroethane (1,2-DCA), 1,1,2-trichloroethane (1,1,2-TCA), and 1,1-dichloroethylene (1,1-DCE), as well as cis-dichloroethylene (cis-DCE) when grown on methane or ethanol. Methylocystis strain SB2 degraded 1,2-DCA and 1,1,2-TCA when grown on either substrate and cis-DCE when grown on methane. Growth of Methylocystis strain SB2 on methane was inhibited in the presence of all compounds, while only 1,1-DCE and cis-DCE inhibited growth on ethanol. No degradation of any chlorinated hydrocarbon was observed in ethanol-grown cultures when particulate methane monooxygenase (pMMO) activity was inhibited with the addition of acetylene, indicating that competition for binding to the pMMO between the chlorinated hydrocarbons and methane limited both methanotrophic growth and pollutant degradation when this strain was grown on methane. Characterization of Methylocystis strain SB2 found no evidence of a high-affinity form of pMMO for methane, nor could this strain utilize 1,2-DCA or its putative oxidative products 2-chloroethanol or chloroactetic acid as sole growth substrates, suggesting that this strain lacks appropriate dehydrogenases for the conversion of 1,2-DCA to glyoxylate. As ethanol: (1) can be used as an alternative growth substrate for promoting pollutant degradation by Methylocystis strain SB2 as the pMMO is not required for its growth on ethanol and (2) has been used to enhance the mobility of chlorinated hydrocarbons in situ, it is proposed that ethanol can be used to enhance both pollutant transport and biodegradation by Methylocystis strain SB2.     

Substrate interactions in dehalogenation of 1,2-dichloroethane, 1,2-dichloropropane,and 1,1,2-trichloroethane mixtures by Dehalogenimonas spp.

When chlorinated alkanes are present as soil or groundwater pollutants, they often occur in mixtures. This study evaluated substrate interactions during the anaerobic reductive dehalogenation of chlorinated alkanes by the type strains of two Dehalogenimonas species, D. lykanthroporepellens and D. alkenigignens. Four contaminant mixtures comprised of combinations of the chlorinated solvents 1,2-dichloroethane (1,2-DCA), 1,2-dichloropropane (1,2-DCP), and 1,1,2-trichloroethane (1,1,2-TCA) were assessed for each species. Chlorinated solvent depletion and daughter product formation determined as a function of time following inoculation into anaerobic media revealed preferential dechlorination of 1,1,2-TCA over both 1,2-DCA and 1,2-DCP for both species. 1,2-DCA in particular was not dechlorinated until 1,1,2-TCA reached low concentrations. In contrast, both species concurrently dechlorinated 1,2-DCA and 1,2-DCP over a comparably large concentration range. This is the first report of substrate interactions during chlorinated alkane dehalogenation by pure cultures, and the results provide insights into the chlorinated alkane transformation processes that may be expected for contaminant mixtures in environments where Dehalogenimonas spp. are present.     

Quantitative PCR Confirms Purity of Strain GT, a Novel Trichloroethene-to-Ethene-Respiring Dehalococcoides Isolate

A novel Dehalococcoides isolate capable of metabolic trichloroethene (TCE)-to-ethene reductive dechlorination was obtained from contaminated aquifer material. Growth studies and 16S rRNA gene-targeted analyses suggested culture purity; however, the careful quantitative analysis of Dehalococcoides 16S rRNA gene and chloroethene reductive dehalogenase gene (i.e., vcrA, tceA, and bvcA) copy numbers revealed that the culture consisted of multiple, distinct Dehalococcoides organisms. Subsequent transfers, along with quantitative PCR monitoring, yielded isolate GT, possessing only vcrA. These findings suggest that commonly used qualitative 16S rRNA gene-based procedures are insufficient to verify purity of Dehalococcoides cultures. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that strain GT is affiliated with the Pinellas group of the Dehalococcoides cluster and shares 100% 16S rRNA gene sequence identity with two other Dehalococcoides isolates, strain FL2 and strain CBDB1. The new isolate is distinct, as it respires the priority pollutants TCE, cis-1,2-dichloroethene (cis-DCE), 1,1-dichloroethene (1,1-DCE), and vinyl chloride (VC), thereby producing innocuous ethene and inorganic chloride. Strain GT dechlorinated TCE, cis-DCE, 1,1-DCE, and VC to ethene at rates up to 40, 41, 62, and 127 μmol liter⁻¹ day⁻¹, respectively, but failed to dechlorinate PCE. Hydrogen was the required electron donor, which was depleted to a consumption threshold concentration of 0.76 ± 0.13 nM with VC as the electron acceptor. In contrast to the known TCE dechlorinating isolates, strain GT dechlorinated TCE to ethene with very little formation of chlorinated intermediates, suggesting that this type of organism avoids the commonly observed accumulation of cis-DCE and VC during TCE-to-ethene dechlorination.     

Evidence of Substantial Carbon Isotope Fractionation among Substrate, Inorganic Carbon, and Biomass during Aerobic Mineralization of 1,2-Dichloroethane by Xanthobacter autotrophicus

Carbon isotope fractionation during aerobic mineralization of 1,2-dichloroethane (1,2-DCA) by Xanthobacter autotrophicus GJ10 was investigated. A strong enrichment of ¹³C in residual 1,2-DCA was observed, with a mean fractionation factor α ± standard deviation of 0.968 ± 0.0013 to 0.973 ± 0.0015. In addition, a large carbon isotope fractionation between biomass and inorganic carbon occurred. A mechanistic model that links the fractionation factor α to the rate constants of the first catabolic enzyme was developed. Based on the model, it was concluded that the strong enrichment of ¹³C in 1,2-DCA arises because the first irreversible step of the initial enzymatic transformation of 1,2-DCA consists of an S_N2 nucleophilic substitution. S_N2 reactions are accompanied by a large kinetic isotope effect. The substantial carbon isotope fractionation between biomass and inorganic carbon could be explained by the kinetic isotope effect associated with the initial 1,2-DCA transformation and by the metabolic pathway of 1,2-DCA degradation. Carbon isotope fractionation during 1,2-DCA mineralization leads to 1,2-DCA, inorganic carbon, and biomass with characteristic carbon isotope compositions, which may be used to trace the process in contaminated environments.     

Functional Characterization of Reductive Dehalogenases by Using Blue Native Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis

Dehalococcoides mccartyi strains are obligate organohalide-respiring bacteria harboring multiple distinct reductive dehalogenase (RDase) genes within their genomes. A major challenge is to identify substrates for the enzymes encoded by these RDase genes. We demonstrate an approach that involves blue native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (BN-PAGE) followed by enzyme activity assays with gel slices and subsequent identification of proteins in gel slices using liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). RDase expression was investigated in cultures of Dehalococcoides mccartyi strain BAV1 and in the KB-1 consortium growing on chlorinated ethenes and 1,2-dichloroethane. In cultures of strain BAV1, BvcA was the only RDase detected, revealing that this enzyme catalyzes the dechlorination not only of vinyl chloride, but also of all dichloroethene isomers and 1,2-dichloroethane. In cultures of consortium KB-1, five distinct Dehalococcoides RDases and one Geobacter RDase were expressed under the conditions tested. Three of the five RDases included orthologs to the previously identified chlorinated ethene-dechlorinating enzymes VcrA, BvcA, and TceA. This study revealed substrate promiscuity for these three enzymes and provides a path forward to further explore the largely unknown RDase protein family.     

Growth of Dehalobacter and Dehalococcoides spp. during degradation of chlorinated ethanes

Mixed anaerobic microbial subcultures enriched from a multilayered aquifer at a former chlorinated solvent disposal facility in West Louisiana were examined to determine the organism(s) involved in the dechlorination of the toxic compounds 1,2-dichloroethane (1,2-DCA) and 1,1,2-trichloroethane (1,1,2-TCA) to ethene. Sequences phylogenetically related to Dehalobacter and Dehalococcoides, two genera of anaerobic bacteria that are known to respire with chlorinated ethenes, were detected through cloning of bacterial 16S rRNA genes. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis analysis of 16S rRNA gene fragments after starvation and subsequent reamendment of culture with 1,2-DCA showed that the Dehalobacter sp. grew during the dichloroelimination of 1,2-DCA to ethene, implicating this organism in degradation of 1,2-DCA in these cultures. Species-specific real-time quantitative PCR was further used to monitor proliferation of Dehalobacter and Dehalococcoides during the degradation of chlorinated ethanes and showed that in fact both microorganisms grew simultaneously during the degradation of 1,2-DCA. Conversely, Dehalobacter grew during the dichloroelimination of 1,1,2-TCA to vinyl chloride (VC) but not during the subsequent reductive dechlorination of VC to ethene, whereas Dehalococcoides grew only during the reductive dechlorination of VC but not during the dichloroelimination of 1,1,2-TCA. This demonstrated that in mixed cultures containing multiple dechlorinating microorganisms, these organisms can have either competitive or complementary dechlorination activities, depending on the chloro-organic substrate.     

Purification, Cloning, and Sequencing of a 3,5-Dichlorophenol Reductive Dehalogenase from Desulfitobacterium frappieri PCP-1

A membrane-associated 3,5-dichlorophenol reductive dehalogenase was isolated from Desulfitobacterium frappieri PCP-1. The highest dehalogenase activity was observed with the biomass cultured at 22°C, compared to 30 and 37°C, where the cell suspensions were 2.2 and 9.6 times less active, respectively. The reductive dehalogenase was purified 12.7-fold to apparent homogeneity. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis revealed a single band with an apparent molecular mass of 57 kDa. Its dechlorinating activity was not inhibited by sulfate and nitrate but was completely inhibited by 2.5 mM sulfite and 10 mM KCN. A mixture of iodopropane and titanium citrate caused a light-reversible inhibition of the dechlorinating activities, suggesting the involvement of a corrinoid cofactor. Several polychlorophenols were dechlorinated at the meta and para positions. The apparent K_m for 3,5-dicholorophenol was 49.3 ± 3.1 μM at a methyl viologen concentration of 2 mM. Six internal tryptic peptides were sequenced by mass spectrometry. One open reading frame (ORF) was found in the Desulfitobacterium hafniense genome containing these peptide sequences. This ORF corresponds to a gene coding for a CprA-type reductive dehalogenase. The corresponding ORF (named cprA5) in D. frappieri PCP-1 was cloned and sequenced. The cprA5 gene codes for a 548-amino-acid protein that contains a twin-arginine-type signal for secretion. The gene product has a cobalamin binding site motif and two iron-sulfur binding motifs and shows 66% identity (76 to 77% similarity) with some tetrachloroethene reductive dehalogenases. This is the first CprA-type reductive dehalogenase that can dechlorinate chlorophenols at the meta and para positions.     

Biodegradation of 1,2-dichloroethane (1,2-DCA) by cometabolism in a nitrifying biofilm reactor

Biodegradation of 1,2-dichloroethane (1,2-DCA) by cometabolism was investigated in a continuous-flow nitrifying biofilm reactor over a time period of 218 days. The removal efficiency of 1,2-DCA ranged between 70 and 90%. Using the generation of chloride (Cl⁻) as an indicator of 1,2-DCA mineralization, it was shown that the cometabolic degradation of 1,2-DCA was initiated through oxidative dechlorination. However, Cl⁻ production rates were observed to be lower than the stoichiometric ones which indicated the partial mineralization of 1,2-DCA and the possibility of by-product formation due to incomplete dechlorination. At high 1,2-DCA removal rates, Cl⁻ release seemed to reach a saturation due to 1,2-DCA-dependent inactivation of NH₄–N oxidation. The cometabolic 1,2-DCA degradation capacity of nitrifiers was quite comparable to metabolic 1,2-DCA degradation capacities of pure cultures. A strong linear relationship was found between 1,2-DCA transformation yields and NH₄–N and 1,2-DCA loadings. The effect of 1,2-DCA loading on nitrifier population was monitored using molecular microbiological tools. Long-term input of 1,2-DCA to the biofilm reactor resulted in no significant changes in the quantities of Nitrosomonas, Nitrobacter and Nitrospira species and no shift in the diversities of ammonia oxidizing species. Those findings provide an insight into both the operation and the community structure in natural and managed nitrifying biofilm systems where cometabolic 1,2-DCA takes place.     

Engineering a catabolic pathway in plants for the degradation of 1,2-dichloroethane

Plants are increasingly being employed to clean up environmental pollutants such as heavy metals; however, a major limitation of phytoremediation is the inability of plants to mineralize most organic pollutants. A key component of organic pollutants is halogenated aliphatic compounds that include 1,2-dichloroethane (1,2-DCA). Although plants lack the enzymatic activity required to metabolize this compound, two bacterial enzymes, haloalkane dehalogenase (DhlA) and haloacid dehalogenase (DhlB) from the bacterium Xanthobacter autotrophicus GJ10, have the ability to dehalogenate a range of halogenated aliphatics, including 1,2-DCA. We have engineered the dhlA and dhlB genes into tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum 'Xanthi') plants and used 1,2-DCA as a model substrate to demonstrate the ability of the transgenic tobacco to remediate a range of halogenated, aliphatic hydrocarbons. DhlA converts 1,2-DCA to 2-chloroethanol, which is then metabolized to the phytotoxic 2-chloroacetaldehyde, then chloroacetic acid, by endogenous plant alcohol dehydrogenase and aldehyde dehydrogenase activities, respectively. Chloroacetic acid is dehalogenated by DhlB to produce the glyoxylate cycle intermediate glycolate. Plants expressing only DhlA produced phytotoxic levels of chlorinated intermediates and died, while plants expressing DhlA together with DhlB thrived at levels of 1,2-DCA that were toxic to DhlA-expressing plants. This represents a significant advance in the development of a low-cost phytoremediation approach toward the clean-up of halogenated organic pollutants from contaminated soil and groundwater.     

Assessment of biostimulation and bioaugmentation for removing chlorinated volatile organic compounds from groundwater at a former manufacture plant

Site in a former chemical manufacture plant in China was found contaminated with high level of chlorinated volatile organic compounds (CVOCs). The major contaminants chloroform (CF), 1,2-dichloroethane (1,2-DCA) and vinyl chloride (VC) in groundwater were up to 4.49 × 10⁴, 2.76 × 10⁶ and 4.35 × 10⁴ μg/L, respectively. Ethene and methane were at concentrations up to 2219.80 and 165.85 μg/L, respectively. To test the hypothesis that the CVOCs in groundwater at this site could be removed via biodegradation, biomarker analyses and microcosm studies were conducted. Dehalococcoides 16S rRNA gene and VC-reductase gene vcrA at densities up to 1.5 × 10⁴ and 3.2 × 10⁴ copies/L were detected in some of the groundwater samples, providing strong evidence that dechlorinating bacteria were present in the aquifer. Results from the microcosm studies showed that at moderate concentrations (CF about 4000 μg/L and 1,2-DCA about 100 μg/L), CF was recalcitrant under natural condition but was degraded under biostimulation and bioaugmentation, while 1,2-DCA was degraded under all the three conditions. At high concentration (CF about 1,000,000 μg/L and 1,2-DCA about 20,000 μg/L), CF was recalcitrant under all the three treatments and 1,2-DCA was only degraded under bioaugmentation, indicating that high concentrations of contaminants were inhibitory to the bacteria. Electron donors had influence on the degradation of contaminants. Of the four fatty acids (pyruvate, acetate, propionate and lactate) examined, all could stimulate the degradation of 1,2-DCA at both moderate and high concentrations, whereas only pyruvate and acetate could stimulate the degradation of CF at moderate concentration. In the microcosms, the observed first-order degradation rates of CF and 1,2-DCA were up to 0.12 and 0.11/day, respectively. Results from the present study provided scientific basis for remediating CVOCs contaminated groundwater at the site.