Enhancing anaerobic degradation of phenol to methane via solubilizing Fe(III) oxides for dissimilatory iron reduction with organic chelates.

The improved performances during anaerobic degradation of phenol to methane with Fe(OH)3 were usually inapparent, due to its lower solubility (unaccessible to dissimilatory iron reduction) and more positive reduction potential of Fe(III)/Fe(II) (unfavorable for enriching Fe(III)-reducing bacteria [IRBs]). In this study, citrate, the organic chelates, were used to solubilize Fe(III) with the aim of improving the phenol degradation and declining the reduction potential of Fe(III)/Fe(II). Results showed that, in the co-occurrence of citrate and Fe(OH)3, the degradation rates of phenol were about 1.3-fold rapider than that with sole Fe(OH)3. Analysis of cyclic voltammetry demonstrated that the reduction potential of Fe(III)/Fe(II) in the form of Fe(OH)3 (-0.41 to -0.28 V vs Ag/AgCl) declined to -0.61 to -0.41 V. As a result, the Fe(III)-reducing genera, such as Petrimonas and Shewanella, which held a great potential of proceeding syntrophic metabolism via direct interspecies electron transfer (DIET), were significantly enriched.