Advanced biobased technologies for organohalide remediation

This project aims to develop advanced biological processes for the degradation of lindane and other organochlorine compounds through the integration of bacteria and fungi with functional materials and bioelectrochemical systems. First, a new Shewanella species isolated from a lindane-contaminated aquifer in Sabiñánigo (Huesca, Spain) will be physiologically and proteogenomically characterized. This strain exhibits a novel respiratory pathway for reeuctive dechlorination of lindane based on c-type cytochromes (OmcA and MtrC), unlike the canonical pathway that relies on reductive dehalogenases. The objective is to determine whether this pathway is functional for other chlorinated compounds that can serve as electron acceptors and to elucidate the role of a reductive dehalogenase gene encoded in its genome that is not expressed during growth with lindane. Second, synergistic mechanisms between Shewanella and organohalide-respiring bacteria (Dehalobacter, Dehalogenimonas) will be studied to evaluate potential metabolic cooperation or direct electron transfer that could enhance dechlorination processes without the need for external hydrogen or acetate supplementation. The third objective will explore the ability of Shewanella to generate hydroxyl radicals (OH) through bio-Fenton-like reactions under alternating aerobicanaerobic conditions, thereby expanding the range of (bio)degradable contaminants. The fourth and fifth objectives address the interaction between microorganisms and metalorganic frameworks (MOFs). The project will investigate how bacteria and fungi attach to and degrade contaminants adsorbed onto MOFs and will design a 5 L packed-bed bioreactor with immobilized MOFs to treat real groundwater from the Sabiñánigo aquifer, combining adsorption and biodegradation processes. The sixth objective will evaluate the use of white rot fungi (Ganoderma lucidum) in a 2 L pressurized bioreactor for lindane biodegradation, optimizing oxygenation and pressure conditions for potential application in pump-and-treat systems. Finally, a single-chamber bioelectrochemical system will be designed to couple the cathodic reduction of lindane by Shewanella with the anodic oxidation of monochlorobenzene and benzene by Pseudomonas, enabling complete mineralization of lindane with low energy consumption. Overall, this project combines microbial ecology, proteogenomics, bioreactor engineering, electrochemistry, and materials science to address one of the most persistent environmental challenges: the remediation of groundwater contaminated with chlorinated compounds. The outcomes will expand our understanding of microbial metabolic pathways and deliver sustainable solutions for the bioremediation of polluted aquifers, strengthening the bioeconomy and promoting technology transfer with environmental engineering companies.