1. FALL 2014 SEMINAR
PRESENTATION DEPARTMENT OF
CHEMISTRY DECEMBER 4th
, 2014
Biogenic Nanopalladium Based Remediation of Chlorinated Hydrocarbons in
Marine Environments
11:00am-12:00pm, NEW SCIENCE BUILDING, ROOM 200
Taylor A. Davis
Graduate Student, North Carolina A&T State University
Palladium (Pd) based biogenetic catalyst have been studied for their ability to remediate chlorinated
solvents in freshwater and soil environments. However, their formation and application has yet to be
reported for marine environments. Marine environments account for over 70 percent of the global
ecosystem thus ecofriendly remediation strategies are of major importance. The aim of this study was
to employ a biogenetic nanopalladium based remediation method for reducing trichloroethylene from
marine environments. Thirty facultative aerobic bacteria was isolated from site A ( Priolo Gargallo
Syracuse, Italy) and site B ( Lagoon of Mar Chica, Morocco) to represent the larger ecosystem.
However, only eight bacterial strains showed the ability to form Pd precipitates on the cell wall,
periplasmic space and the growth media as well as produce bio hydrogen. The biogenetic catalyst
was then used to remediate sterile marine broth spiked with 20 mg L-1 trichloroethylene. Bio-Pd
nanoparticles (BIO Pd Nps) successfully dechlorinated 20mgL-1 of TCE after 1 hr. The use of Bio Pd
Nps is a promising, reusable strategy for the remediation of chlorinated compounds from marine
environments.
Reference
1. Hosseinkhani, B.; Hennebel, T.; Van Nevel, S.; Verschuere, S.; Yakimov, M. M.; Cappello, S.;
Blaghen, M.; Boon, N. Environmental Science & Technology 2014, 48, 550–557.