A theoretical analysis was performed to examine the role of naphthalene dioxygenase (NDO) enzymes in determining differences in biodegradability and biodegradation rates of two- to four-ring polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) via oxygenation and desaturation reactions. Investigation of the thermodynamics of PAH biodegradation reactions catalyzed by NDO revealed that enthalpies of reaction ...

The factors identified to be important for the aerobic biodegradation of alpha-hexachlorocyclohexane (alpha-HCH) in a soil slurry are temperature, auxiliary carbon source, substrate concentration, and soil inhomogeneities. Temperatures in the range of 20 to 30 degrees C were determined to be most favorable for biodegradation of alpha-HCH. No alpha-HCH biodegradation was detected at temperatures...

Rates of hydrocarbon biodegradation were estimated by following oxygen uptake during mineral oil oxidation or oxidation of [1-14C]hexadecane to 14CO2, when these substrates were added to natural water samples from Wisconsin lakes. A lag phase preceded hydrocarbon oxidation, the length of which depended on population density or on factors influencing growth rate and on the presence of nonhydroca...

Soil and surface water contamination by used lubricating oil is a common occurrence in most developing countries. This has been shown to have harmful effects on the environment and human beings at large. Bioremediation can be an alternative green technology for remediation of such hydrocarbon-contaminated soil. Bioremediation of soil contaminated with 5% and 15% (w/w) used lubricating oil and a...

Mazut as a source content of various hydrocarbons is hard to be degraded and its cracking could turn mazut into useful materials. Nevertheless degradation of mazut by routine methods is too expensive but application of indigenous microorganisms as biocatalysts could be effective and important to lower the costs and expand its consumption. Mazut biodegradation can be improved using various strat...

Introduction: Chlorpyrifos is an organophosphorus pesticide that is commonly used in agriculture. This toxin is harmful to a wide range of organisms, including living organisms, useful arthropods, fish, birds, humans, animals, and plants. There are many physical, chemical, and biological methods for the removal of organophosphorus pesticides from ecosystems, among which biodegradation is prefer...

biodegradation of phenol is a major focus of toxic organic compound degradation by microorganisms isolated from polluted areas. an increasing number of bacteria and fungi possessing unique biodegradation capabilities have been isolated in recent years. in this study a new isolate, rhodococcus erythropolis sko-1, from polluted soils in the tehran oil refinery region, is reported. identificati...

Degradability of organic compounds in air, soil, and water is the most important factor for evaluating their environment fate as well as possible adverse effects to humans and the environment. The primary degradation process in the troposphere is the reaction with the hydroxyl radical. For water and soil compartments, the primary degradation process is biodegradation. The objectives of this rep...

Compounds interaction on biodegradation of toluene and methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) mixtures in a composite bead biofilter was investigated. The biodegradation rate of two compounds in the exponential growth phase and stationary phase for the single compound and two compounds mixing systems was determined. For the single compound system, the biodegradation rate of two compounds in the microbial gr...