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. 1990 Aug;56(8):2488–2493. doi: 10.1128/aem.56.8.2488-2493.1990

Toxicity of 1,1,1-Trichloroethane and Trichloroethene on a Mixed Culture of Methane-Oxidizing Bacteria

Kim Broholm 1,*, Bjørn K Jensen 1, Thomas H Christensen 1, Lajla Olsen 1
PMCID: PMC184753  PMID: 16348260

Abstract

The influence of trichloroethene (TCE; 0 to 65 mg/liter) and 1,1,1-trichloroethane (1,1,1-TCA; 0 to 103 mg/liter) on methane consumption of a mixed culture of methane-oxidizing bacteria was studied in laboratory batch experiments. Increasing concentrations of TCE or 1,1,1-TCA resulted in decreasing methane consumption. Methane consumption was totally inhibited at a concentration of 13 mg of TCE per liter, while methane consumption was still observed at the upper studied concentration of 103 mg of 1,1,1-TCA per liter. The inhibition of methane consumption by TCE depended on the initial concentration of methane. A model accounting for competitive inhibition between methane and TCE or 1,1,1-TCA was used to simulate methane consumption at various concentrations of TCE or 1,1,1-TCA. The simulations indicated that competitive inhibition may be the mechanism causing the inhibitory effect of TCE on methane consumption, while this does not seem to be the case for 1,1,1-TCA.

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Selected References

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