– Causes and Cures for cDCE Stall: Lessons Learned in 30 Years of Enhanced Reductive Dechlorination

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Enhanced Reductive Dechlorination (ERD) has developed into a reliable and robust technology for in-situ treatment of PCE and TCE. However, at too many sites, DCE and VC conversion to ethene is rate limiting, increasing the time and cost to meet remediation goals.

Common causes of slow DCE conversion to ethene include absence of Dehalococcoides, competitive and/or toxic inhibition by other CVOCs, absence of substrates that can be fermented to hydrogen, low nutrient levels (N, P, B12), and low pH.

In this presentation, we will review the microbiology of DCE reduction to ethene and strategies for accelerating complete dechlorination to non-toxic end products.