Anaerobic Microbial Degradation of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons: A Comprehensive Review

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a class of hazardous organic contaminants that are widely distributed in nature, and many of them are potentially toxic to humans and other living organisms. Biodegradation is the major route of detoxification and removal of PAHs from the environment. Aero...

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Published inReviews of environmental contamination and toxicology
Main Authors Dhar, Kartik, Subashchandrabose, Suresh R, Venkateswarlu, Kadiyala, Krishnan, Kannan, Megharaj, Mallavarapu
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States 01.01.2020
Subjects
2-Naphthoic acid
Fate of PAHs
Sulfate-reducing bacteria
Aromatic ring reduction
Metabolite profiling
Naphthalene carboxylase
Benzo(a)pyrene
Iron-reducing bacteria
Pathways of biodegradation
Thermodynamics
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
Methanogenic bacteria
Genetics
Bioremediation
Biodegradation
Phenanthrene
Anoxia
Anaerobic biodegradation
PAH sources
Pyrene
Aerobic biodegradation
Naphthalene
Mechanism of anaerobic biodegradation
Microbial degradation
Nitrate-reducing bacteria
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Summary:Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a class of hazardous organic contaminants that are widely distributed in nature, and many of them are potentially toxic to humans and other living organisms. Biodegradation is the major route of detoxification and removal of PAHs from the environment. Aerobic biodegradation of PAHs has been the subject of extensive research; however, reports on anaerobic biodegradation of PAHs are so far limited. Microbial degradation of PAHs under anaerobic conditions is difficult because of the slow growth rate of anaerobes and low energy yield in the metabolic processes. Despite the limitations, some anaerobic bacteria degrade PAHs under nitrate-reducing, sulfate-reducing, iron-reducing, and methanogenic conditions. Anaerobic biodegradation, though relatively slow, is a significant process of natural attenuation of PAHs from the impacted anoxic environments such as sediments, subsurface soils, and aquifers. This review is intended to provide comprehensive details on microbial degradation of PAHs under various reducing conditions, to describe the degradation mechanisms, and to identify the areas that should receive due attention in further investigations.
ISSN:0179-5953
DOI:10.1007/398_2019_29