Patent EA-001672-B1 (EA)
Title: Bioremediation of pollutants with butane-utilizing bacteria
IPC: A62D3/02
Filed: 1997-11-05
Abstract: 1. A method of degrading a hydrocarbon pollutant, the method comprising treating the hydrocarbon pollutant with a butane-utilizing bacteria in the presence of oxygen for a treatment time sufficient for the butane-utilizing bacteria to degrade the hydrocarbon pollutant. 2. The method of Claim l, further comprising providing butane to the butane-utilizing bacteria during at least a portion of the treatment time. 3. The method of Claim 2, wherein the butane is provided at a substantially constant rate. 4. The method of Claim 3, wherein the butane is provided for substantially the entire treatment time. 5. The method of Claim 2, wherein the butane is provided in pulses. 6. The method of Claim 2, wherein the oxygen is provided to the butane-utilizing bacteria for substantially the entire treatment time. 7. The method of Claim 6, wherein the oxygen is provided at a substantially constant rate. 8. The method of Claim 2, wherein the hydrocarbon pollutant comprises trichloroethene. 9. The method of Claim 8, wherein the butane-utilizing bacteria comprises at least one bacterium selected from the group consisting of PSeudomonas, Vuriovorax, Nocardia, Chrysenhacterium, Comamonas, Acidovorax, Rhodococcus, Aureobacterium, Micrococcus, Aeromonas, Stenotrophomonas, Sphingobacterium, Shewanella, Phyllobacterium, Clavibacter, Alcaligenes, Gordona, Corynebacterium and Cylophaga. 10. The method of Claim 8, wherein the butane-utilizing bacteria comprises at least one bacterium selected from the group consisting of putida, rubrisubalbicans, aeruginosa, paradoxus, asteroides, brasiliensis, restricta, globerula, indologenes, meningosepticum, acidovorans, delafieldii, rhodochrous, erythropolis, fascians, barkeri, esteroaromaticum, saperdae, varians, kristinae, caviae, maltophilia, thalpophilum, spiritivorum, putrefaciens  B, myrsinacearum, michiganense, xylosoxydans, terrae, aquaticum B and johnsonae. 11. The method of Claim 8, wherein the butane-utilizing bacteria comprises at least one bacterium selected from the group consisting of Pseudomonas rubrisubalbicans, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Variovorax paradoxus, Nocardia asteroides, Nocardia restricta, Chryseobacterium indologenes, Comamonas acidovoruns, Acidovorax delafieldii, Rhodococcus rhodochrous, Rhodococcus erythropolis, Aureobacterium esteroaromaticum, Aureobacterium saperdae, Micrococcus varians, Micrococcus kristinae, Aeromonas caviae, Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, Sphingobacterium thalpophidum, Clavibacter michiganense, Alcaligenes xylnsoxydans, Corynebacterium aquaticum B and Cytophaga johnsonae. 12. The method of Claim 1, wherein the butane-utilizing bacteria is capable of degrading TCE in the absence of butane and comprises at least one bacterium selected from the group consisting of Pseudomonas, Variovorax, Nocardia, Chrysenbacterium, Comamonas, Acidovorax, Rhodococcus, Aureobacterium, Micrococcus, Aeromonas, Stenotrophomonas, Shewanella, Clavibacter, Corynchacterium and Cytophaga. 13. The method of Claim 1, wherein the butane-utilizing bacteria is capable of degrading TCE in the absence of butane and comprises at least one bacterium selected from the group consisting of Variovorax paradoxus, Comamonas acidovorans, Acidovorax delofieldii, Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, Sphingobacterium thalpophilum, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Alcaligenes xylosoxydans, Acromonas caviae, Rhodococcus erythropolis, Aureobacterium saperdae and Clavibacter michiganense. 14. The method of Claim 1, wherein the hydrocarbon pollutant is present within soil. 15. The method of Claim 1, wherein the hydrocarbon pollutant is present in a gas. 16. The method of Claim 15, wherein the gas is air. 17. The method of Claim 1, wherein the hydrocarbon pollutant is present in a liquid. 18. The method of Claim 17, wherein the liquid comprises water. 19. The method of Claim 18, wherein the water comprises greater than about 10 mg/liter trichloroethene upon initiation of the treatment with the butane-utilizing bacteria. 20. The method of Claim 18, wherein the water comprises greater than about 5 parts per billion trichloroethene upon initiation of the treatment with the butane-utilizing bacteria. 21. The method of Claim 20, wherein the water comprises less than about 5 parts per billion trichloroethene after the treatment with the butane-utilizing bacteria. 22. The method of Claim 21, wherein substantially all of the trichloroethene is degraded by the butane-utilizing bacteria. 23. The method of Claim 18, wherein hydrocarbon pollutant comprises trichloroethene and the butane-utilizing bacteria is capable of degrading the trichloroethene at a rate of greater than about 1 mg/hr/liter. 24. The method of Claim 23, wherein the butane-utilizing bacteria is capable of degrading the trichloroethene at a rate of greater than about 1.5 mg/hr/liter. 25. The method of Claim 23, wherein the butane-utilizing bacteria is capable of degrading the trichloroethene at a rate of greater than about 2 mg/hr/liter. 26. A method of decontaminating water comprising: providing contaminated water comprising a halogenated aliphatic hydrocarbon compound; treating the halogenated aliphatic hydrocarbon compound with a butane-utilizing bacteria in the presence of oxygen for a treatment time sufficient for the butane-utilizing bacteria to degrade the halogenated aliphatic hydrocarbon compound; and recovering decontaminated water having a lower concentration of the halogenated aliphatic hydrocarbon compound than the contaminated water. 27. The method of Claim 26, wherein the halogenated aliphatic hydrocarbon compound comprises trichloroethene. 28. The method of Claim 27, wherein the contaminated water comprises greater than about 10 mg/liter trichloroethene. 29. The method of Claim 27, wherein the decontaminated water comprises less than about 5 parts per billion trichloroethene. 30. The method of Claim 27, wherein the trichloroethene is degraded at a rate of greater than about 1 mg/hr/liter. 31. The method of Claim 27, wherein the trichloroethene is degraded at a rate of greater than about 1.5 mg/hr/liter. 32. The method of Claim 27, wherein the trichloroethene is degraded at a rate of greater than about 2 mg/hr/liter. 33. A bioreactor for degrading hydrocarbon pollutants comprising: a fluid container; a substrate disposed within the container supporting butane-utilizing bacteria comprising at least one bacterium selected from the group consisting of Pseudomonas, Variovorax, Nocardia, Chryseobacterium, Comamonas, Acidovorax, Rhodococcus, Aureobacterium, Micrococcus, Aeromnnas, Stenotrophomonas, Sphingobacterium, Shewanella, Phyllobacterium; Clavibacter, Alcaligenes, Gordona, Corynebacterium and Cytophaga; means for introducing contaminated fluid into the container, the contaminated fluid comprising at least one hydrocarbon pollutant; means for introducing oxygen into the container; and means for removing treated fluid from the container. 34. The bioreactor of Claim 33, further comprising means for introducing butane into the container. 35. The bioreactor of Claim 33, wherein the bioreactor comprises a single fluid container. 36. The bioreactor of Claim 33, wherein the bioreactor comprises a plurality of fluid containers. 37. The bioreactor of Claim 33, wherein the bioreactor is portable. 38. The bioreactor of Claim 33, wherein the bioreactor comprises means for treating batches of the contaminated fluid in a periodic regime. 39. The bioreactor of Claim 33, wherein the bioreactor comprises means for continuously treating the contaminated fluid. 40. The bioreactor of Claim 33, wherein the butane-utilizing bacteria comprises at least one bacterium selected from the group consisting of putida, ruhrisuhalbicans, acruglinosa, paradoxus, asteroides, brasiliensis, restricta, gloherula, indologenes, meningosepticum, acidovorans, delafieldii, rhodochrous, erythropolis, fascians, barkeri, esteroaromaticum, saperdae, varians, kristinae, caviae, maltophilia, thalpophilum, spiritivorum, putrefaciens  B, myrsinacearum, michiganense, xylosoxydans, terrae, aquaticum B and johnsonae. 41. The bioreactor of Claim 33, wherein the contaminated fluid comprises water and the hydrocarbon pollutant comprises greater than about 10 mg/liter trichloroethene in aqueous solution. 42. The bioreactor of Claim 33, wherein the contaminated fluid comprises water, the hydrocarbon pollutant comprises trichloroethene, and the bioreactor is capable of degrading the trichloroethene at a rate of greater than about 1 mg/hr/liter. 43. The bioreactor of Claim 33, wherein the contaminated fluid comprises water, the hydrocarbon pollutant comprises trichloroethene, and the bioreactor is capable of degrading the trichloroethene at a rate of greater than about 1.5 mg/hr/liter. 44. The bioreactor of Claim 33, wherein the contaminated fluid comprises water, the hydrocarbon pollutant comprises trichloroethene, and the bioreactor is capable of degrading the trichloroethene at a rate of greater than about 2 mg/hr/liter.