The environmental microbiology of chlorinated aromatic decomposition
- Harvard Univ., Cambridge, MA (United States)
The difficulty in predicting the microbial degradation rates of such xenobiotic chemicals as chlorinated aromatic hydrocarbons necessitates that empirical data on decomposition be collected to model the environmental fate and transport of these recalcitrant compounds. A partial list of microorganisms reported to degrade chlorinated aromatic hydrocarbons is provided. The processes of degradation, including dehalogenation, cometabolism, and synergistic mineralization, are discussed as they pertain to these halogenated compounds. Adaptation through genetic exchange within a microbial community is addressed through a brief review of the physical-chemical factors required for plasmid transfer in the laboratory. The ecological significance of gene recruitment in response to xenobiotic stress is also considered. Because chlorinated aromatic hydrocarbons were rare in the environment until a few decades ago, they provide a unique opportunity to study the evolution of multistep catabolic pathways for the degradation of compounds with novel chemical structures.
- OSTI ID:
- 5964589
- Journal Information:
- Journal of Environmental Quality; (United States), Journal Name: Journal of Environmental Quality; (United States) Vol. 18:4; ISSN JEVQA; ISSN 0047-2425
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
AROMATICS
BIODEGRADATION
CATABOLISM
CELL CONSTITUENTS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CHLORINATED AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS
DATA
DECOMPOSITION
DEHALOGENATION
HALOGENATED AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS
INFORMATION
METABOLISM
MICROORGANISMS
MINERALIZATION
ORGANIC CHLORINE COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
PLASMIDS
SYNERGISM
XENOBIOTICS