Bio-removal of mixture of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes/total petroleum hydrocarbons/trichloroethylene from contaminated water

Four pure cultures were isolated from soil samples potentially contaminated with gasoline compounds either at a construction site near a gas station in Fai Chi Kei,Macau SAR or in the northern parts of China (Beijing,and Hebei and Shandong provinces).The effects of different concentrations of benzene,toluene,ethylbenzene,and three isomers (ortho-,meta-,and para-) of xylene (BTEX),total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH),and trichloroethylene (TCE),when they were present in mixtures,on the bio-removal efficiencies of microbial isolates were investigated,together with their interactions during the bio-removal process.When the isolates were tested for the BTEX (50-350 mg/L)/TPH (2000 mg/L) mixture,BTEoX in BTEoX/TPH mixture was shown with higher bio-removal efficiencies,while BTEmX in BTEmX/TPH mixture was shown with the lowest,regardless of isolates.The TPH in BTEmX/TPH mixture,on the other hand,were generally shown with higher bio-removal efficiencies compared to when TPH mixed with BTEoX and BTEpX.When these BTEX mixtures (at 350 mg/L) were present with TCE (5-50 mg/L),the stimulatory effect of TCE toward BTEoX bio-removal was observed for BTEoX/TCE mixture,while the inhibitory effect of TCE toward BTEmX for BTEmX/TCE mixture.The bio-removal efficiency for TPH was shown lower in TPH (2000 mg/L)/TCE (5-50 mg/L) mixtures compared to TPH present alone,implying the inhibitory effect of TCE toward TPH bio-removal.For the mixture of BTEX (417 mg/L),TPH (2000 mg/L) along with TCE (5-50 mg/L),TCE was shown co-metabolically removed more efficiently at 15 mg/L,probably utilizing BTEX and/or TPH as primary substrates.