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Title: Microbial abundance and degradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in soil

Journal Article · · Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology; (United States)
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00191235· OSTI ID:6240769
;  [1]
  1. Osmania Univ., Hyderabad (India)

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a group of highly lipophilic chemicals that are generally formed during combustion, pyrolysis and pyrosynthesis of organic matter and are present ubiquitously in the urban environment as pollutants in very small quantities. The objective of the present study was to determine the activity of indigenous microbial populations of hazardous waste sites, their degree of adaptation, their ability to degrade toxic PAHs, and to study the potentials of different indigenous microbes to degrade the following selected PAHs from the polluted soil environment. PAHs selected for the study were anthracene, phenanthrene, chrysene, pyrene and fluoranthene. In this study, the indigenous contaminated soil populations were effective in removing the hydrocarbons and returning the soil to productivity. The biodegradation of PAHs in the selected soil was due to PAH degrader present in the bacterial as well as fungal communities. 13 refs., 2 tabs.

OSTI ID:
6240769
Journal Information:
Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology; (United States), Vol. 50:4; ISSN 0007-4861
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English