Enhanced anaerobic biodegradation of benzene-toluene-ethylbenzene-xylene-ethanol mixtures in bioaugmented aquifer columns

Methanogenic flowthrough aquifer columns were used to investigate the potential of bioaugmentation to enhance anaerobic benzene-toluene-ethylbenzene-xylene (BTEX) degradation in groundwater contaminated with ethanol-blended gasoline. Two different methanogenic consortia (enriched with benzene or toluene and o-xylene) were used as inocula. Toluene was the only hydrocarbon degraded within 3 years in columns that were not bioaugmented, although anaerobic toluene degradation was observed after only 2 years of acclimation. Significant benzene biodegradation (up to 88%) was observed only in a column bioaugmented with the benzene-enriched methanogenic consortium, and this removal efficiency was sustained for 1 year with no significant decrease in permeability due to bioaugmentation. Benzene removal was hindered by the presence of toluene, which is a more labile substrate under anaerobic conditions. Real-time quantitative PCR analysis showed that the highest numbers of bssA gene copies (coding for benzylsuccinate synthase) occurred in aquifer samples exhibiting the highest rate of toluene degradation, which suggests that this gene could be a useful biomarker for environmental forensic analysis of anaerobic toluene bioremediation potential. bssA continued to be detected in the columns 1 year after column feeding ceased, indicating the robustness of the added catabolic potential. Overall, these results suggest that anaerobic bioaugmentation might enhance the natural attenuation of BTEX in groundwater contaminated with ethanol-blended gasoline, although field trials would be needed to demonstrate its feasibility. This approach may be especially attractive for removing benzene, which is the most toxic and commonly the most persistent BTEX compound under anaerobic conditions.