Kelly E. Fletcher is a Ph.D. candidate in Environmental Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology and is advised by Dr. Frank Löffler.  Her research focuses on identifying and characterizing organisms involved in the detoxification of chlorinated solvents, such as tetrachloroethene (PCE), trichloroethene (TCE), and 1,2-dichloropropane (1,2-D).  Ms. Fletcher is currently working on the development of tools to assess the in situ activity of Dehalococcoides populations.

Presentation Description
1,2-Dichloropropane (1,2-D) is currently classified as a contaminant of concern at over 100 U.S. Superfund sites due to its extensive use as a soil fumigant in agriculture and its generation during the production of propylene oxide and chlorinated compounds, including tetrachloroethene and carbon tetrachloride.  In this study, compound specific stable carbon isotope analysis was used to determine the bulk carbon isotope enrichment factor of 1,2-D during dichloroelimination in two highly enriched, nonmethanogenic, Dehalococcoides-containing mixed cultures.  While these cultures were obtained via enrichment from different locations, contain unique Dehalococcoides populations and microbial communities, and demonstrate different rates of dichloroelimination, the 1,2-D isotope enrichment factors in both cultures were significant and statistically identical, -10.6 ± 0.9‰ and -11.3 ± 0.8‰.  This suggests that 1,2-D carbon isotope enrichment factors may be consistent across Dehalococcoides populations and therefore serve as a useful tool for assessing the extent of in situ 1,2-D degradation.