Organic contaminants in groundwater pose risks to human health because of their mobility and toxicity.  Here we apply in-situ polymerization strategies to manage risk by converting mobile contaminants to immobile oligomers with low solubility.  This process, analogous to humification, was achieved through a peroxidase-mediated oxidation process performed under hydrogen peroxide and peroxidase conditions similar to those found in coastal soils.  Fluoroanilines and halophenols, alone and in mixtures, were used as model contaminants.  Their transformation by oxidation to high molecular weight, insoluble oligomers was monitored for several hours. Measurements include starting materials, hydrogen peroxide, peroxidase enzyme, and resulting oligomers. Detected products had masses ranging from dimers to larger than hexamers, depending on the substrate/enzyme ratio. These products are capable of sequential oxidation to molecular weights approaching 1000 Da.  The maximum solubility of these products was significantly reduced relative to the starting materials with visible polymers forming in solution in minutes.  The effectiveness of polymerization/precipitation for removing these materials from waters is measured by their affinity for soils. This is determined by their extractability from soil columns, in the presence and absence of natural organic carbon. <br/>

Polymerization in place:  Enzymatic oxidation to immobilize polyfunctional halogenated aromatics in groundwater

256th National Meeting (2018)

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