Anaerobic benzene mineralization by nitrate-reducing bacterial consortia enriched from a sulfidic field site: Comparison of community composition and degradation characteristics under both redox conditions

Benzene mineralization under nitrate-reducing conditions was successfully established in an on-site reactor fed with sulfidic, benzene-containing groundwater extracted from a contaminated aquifer and amended with continuously added nitrate. Filling material from the reactor columns was used to set up anaerobic enrichment cultures in mineral medium with benzene and nitrate. Benzene degradation characteristics and community composition under nitrate-reducing conditions were monitored and compared to those of a well-investigated benzene-mineralizing consortium enriched from the same column system under sulfate-reducing conditions.