Humic Acids as Electron Acceptors for Anaerobic Microbial Oxidation of Vinyl Chloride and Dichloroethene

Anaerobic oxidation of [1,2-(14)C]vinyl chloride and [1,2-(14)C]dichloroethene to (14)CO(2) under humic acid-reducing conditions was demonstrated. The results indicate that waterborne contaminants can be oxidized by using humic acid compounds as electron acceptors and suggest that natural aquatic systems have a much larger capacity for contaminant oxidation than previously thought.