Pollutants such as pesticides and their degradation products occur ubiquitously in natural aquatic environments at trace concentrations (μg L(-1) and lower). Microbial biodegradation processes have long been known to contribute to the attenuation of pesticides in contaminated environments. However, challenges remain in developing engineered remediation strategies for pesticide-contaminated envi...

Intrinsic biodegradation of trichloroethene and 1,1,1-trichloroethane in groundwater at a Superfund site in California has been observed. An anaerobic zone exists in the area closest to the source location, yielding the expected complement of reductive dechlorination daughter products, including cis-1,2-dichloroethene (cis-DCE) and vinyl chloride (VC). Significant levels of methane and ethene w...

Oil biodegradation by native bacteria is one of the most important natural processes that can attenuate the environmental impacts of marine oil spills. Existing models for oil biodegradation kinetics are mostly for dissolved oil. This work developed a new mathematical model for the biodegradation of oil droplets and applied the model to estimate the time scale for oil biodegradation under condi...

Several research groups are working on the development of dynamic simulation tools for the design, management and monitoring of municipal solid waste landfills. One of these tools is the MODUELO software, which the Environmental Engineering Group of the University of Cantabria has been developing since 1998. Based on meteorological data, waste generation and landfill layout data, the program es...

In this paper we consider the problem of estimating transport and biodegra-dation parameters in a contaminant transport model. We develop a convergence theory for parameter identiication under approximation that includes the nonlinearities inherent in the biodegradation models. The functional analytic approach provides a means for studying a variety of solute transport and biodegradation problems.

We report the draft genome sequence of Alcaligenes faecalis strain IITR89, a bacterium able to form indigo by utilizing indole as the sole carbon source. The Alcaligenes species is increasingly reported for biodegradation of diverse toxicants and thus complete sequencing may provide insight into biodegradation capabilities and other phenotypes.

organophosphorus compounds are highly toxic chemicals that have application in production of warfare agents and agricultural pesticides. detoxification of areas that have been exposed to these types of materials is of vital importance and several approaches have been used for this purpose. biodegradation of organophosphates is one of these approaches that is in the center of attention due to it...

In this study, two strains of Aspergillus sp. and Lysinibacillus sp. with remarkable abilities to degrade low-density polyethylene (LDPE) were isolated from landfill soils in Tehran using enrichment culture and screening procedures. The biodegradation process was performed for 126 days in soil using UV- and non-UV-irradiated pure LDPE films without pro-oxidant additives in the presence and abse...