Enhanced biotransformation of DDTs by an iron- and humic-reducing bacteria Aeromonas hydrophila HS01 upon addition of goethite and anthraquinone-2,6-disulphonic disodium salt (AQDS).

A fermentative facultative anaerobe, strain HS01 isolated from subterranean sediment, was identified as Aeromonas hydrophila by 16S rRNA sequence analysis. The biotransformation of 1,1,1-trichloro-2,2-bis(4-chlorophenyl) ethane (DDT), 1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis(4-chlorophenyl) ethylene (DDD), and 1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis (4-chlorophenyl) ethane (DDE) by HS01 was investigated in the presence of goethite and anthraquinone-2,6-disulphonic disodium salt (AQDS). The results demonstrated that HS01 was capable of reducing DDTs, goethite and AQDS. And goethite can significantly enhance the reduction of DDT, DDD and DDE to some extent, while the addition of AQDS can further accelerate the reduction of Fe(III) and DDTs. The products of DDT transformation were identified as a large amount of dominant DDD, and small amounts of 1-chloro-2,2-bis-(p-chlorophenyl)ethane (DDMU), unsym-bis(p-chlorophenyl)-ethylene (DDNU), and 4,4'-dichlorobenzophenone (DBP). The results of cyclic voltammetry suggested that AQDS could increase the amounts of reactive biogenic Fe(II), resulting in the enhanced transformation of DDTs. This investigation gives some new insight in the fate of DDTs related to iron- and humic-reducing bacteria.