Bioremediation of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon (PAHs): A Perspective

Abstract

Hydrocarbon pollution is a perennial problem not only in India but throughout the globe. A plethora of microorganisms have been reported to be efficient degraders of these recalcitrant pollutants. One of the major concerns of environmental problem is the presence of hydrocarbons due to the various anthropogenic activities. PAHs are ubiquitous in naturei.e.present in soil, water and air. Presence of PAHs in environment creates problem as their presence have deleterious effect on human and animals. They also have the ability to cause the tumors in human and animals. Some of the microorganisms are capable of transforming and degrading these PAHs and remove them from the environment. The present review describes about the sources, structure, fate and toxicity of PAHs as well as different bioremediation techniques involved in the removing of contaminants from the environment which are efficient and cost-effective. The conventional approaches used for removal of PAH are not only environment friendly but also are able to reduce the risk to human and ecosystem.

Effect of manure and mineral fertilisers on the content of light and heavy polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in soil

“…It is well documented that PAHs have toxic, carcinogenic and even mutagenic effects on life organisms [1][2][3][4] . Although the human activities contributes to the PAH presence in the elevated concentrations in soils, the microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi and algae can successfully participate in the PAH biodegradation 1,5 . The effective way to decontaminate the PAHs including some physical, chemical and biological (bioremediation, phytoremediation) processes can lead to complete mineralization into CO 2 , H 2 O and biomass 6 .…”

Identification by MALDI-TOF MS of Environmental Bacteria with High Potential to Degrade Pyrene

“…Being the CFE site the one that contains the highest concentrations of PAHs, particularly, of fluoranthene (45.82 ng g -1 ), pyrene (39.12 ng g -1 ), and benzo (a)pyrene (26.09 ng g -1 ). It is known that LMW-PAHs are more easily biodegradable and consequently, predominant in seawater due to their partial solubility, whereas HMW-PAHs are recalcitrant and hydrophobic compounds, therefore, they can adsorb onto settling particles and reach the marine sediment bed [21,22].…”

Floor dust bacteria and fungi and their coexistence with PAHs in Jordanian indoor environments

“…In general, many studies have shown that bacteria and fungi metabolite PAHs (e.g. Gupte et al, 2016;Munoz et al, 2003;Semple et al, 2003;Reid et al, 2000;Heitkamp et al, 1987 and1988). They transform PAHs to activated products such as diol-oxides (PAHs metabolites by the cytochrome P-450 or similar mechanisms).…”

“…It was reported that the fate of PAHs in soil is affected by various factors including biological diversity and abundance (Gupte et al, 2016;Semple et al, 2003;Reid et al, 2000;Heitkamp et al, 1988). Wood-decaying fungi can detoxify, oxidize, and transform PAH (e.g.…”