Final answer:
Reductive dechlorination is the process by which chlorinated organics are utilized by anaerobic bacteria as terminal electron acceptors, resulting in dechlorination and transformation into less harmful chemicals.
Step-by-step explanation:
Reductive dechlorination is a process in which chlorinated organics are used as terminal electron acceptors in anaerobic respiration. This environmental biotechnology is important for the biodegradation of persistent compounds like chlorinated solvents in soil and groundwater. During this process, anaerobic bacteria utilize the halogenated compounds as electron acceptors, replacing the chlorine atoms with hydrogen, which results in the production of less harmful chemicals.
Reductive dechlorination differs from other redox reactions such as those seen in cellular respiration or photosynthesis. The latter usually involve oxygen and produce carbon dioxide as an end product, while reductive dechlorination specifically relates to the reduction of chlorine atoms without necessarily producing carbon dioxide. Furthermore, this process is also distinguished from xenobiotic cometabolism, which refers to the biodegradation of pollutants facilitated by the enzymatic activity of microbes metabolizing other compounds.