title: Bioremediation via in situ microbial degradation of organic pollutants.
abstract: Contamination of soil and natural waters by organic pollutants is a global problem. The major organic pollutants of point sources are mineral oil, fuel components, and chlorinated hydrocarbons. Research from the last two decades discovered that most of these compounds are biodegradable under anoxic conditions. This has led to the rise of bioremediation strategies based on the in situ biodegradation of pollutants. Monitored natural attenuation is a concept by which a contaminated site is remediated by natural biodegradation; to evaluate such processes, a combination of chemical and microbiological methods are usually used. Compound specific stable isotope analysis emerged as a key method for detecting and quantifying in situ biodegradation. Natural attenuation processes can be initiated or accelerated by manipulating the environmental conditions to become favorable for indigenous pollutant degrading microbial communities or by adding externally breeded specific pollutant degrading microorganisms; these techniques are referred to as enhanced natural attenuation. Xenobiotic micropollutants, such as pesticides or pharmaceuticals, contaminate diffusively large areas in low concentrations; the biodegradation pattern of such contaminations are not yet understood.
authors: Department of Isotope Biogeochemistry, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research-UFZ, Permoserstraße 15, 04318, Leipzig, Germany, carsten.vogt@ufz.de.
authors: Carsten
authors: C
authors: Vogt
authors: Hans Hermann
authors: HH
authors: Richnow
mesh_terms: D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D002247:Carbon Isotopes; D003903:Deuterium; D006801:Humans; D006843:Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated / Q000378:metabolism*; D017018:Methanomicrobiales / Q000378:metabolism; D059013:Microbial Consortia / Q000502:physiology; D010575:Pesticides / Q000378:metabolism*; D010578:Petroleum / Q000378:metabolism*; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000378:metabolism*; D016999:Sulfur-Reducing Bacteria / Q000378:metabolism; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D002247:Carbon Isotopes; D006843:Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated; D010575:Pesticides; D010578:Petroleum; D012989:Soil Pollutants; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D003903:Deuterium