Anoxic or Anaerobic Conditions

In many situations, such as in deep groundwater, oxygen concentration may be severely limiting due to its consumption by surflcial aerobic organisms, or its low rate of transport into the system. Therefore, there has been great interest in the anaerobic degradation of BTEX. Although this has been 

The application of deuterated toluene in assessing anaerobic biodegradation (Fischer et al. 2006) has already been noted in Chapter 6, Part 1. A review (Lovley 1997) has summarized the various strategies and suggests that uncertainties, particularly in the bioremediation of benzene, can only be resolved by greater emphasis on field-oriented studies, and a better understanding of the reactions involved and the factors that limit the rates of degradation. 

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Corrosion occurs in the aqueous enviromnent because protons and oxygen, which are readily available in nature, are reduced to more stable products. They require electrons to reduce, which are supphed by the base metals and other electropositive species. In fact, this is the reason why only few metals, such as Pt and Au, are found in their native state. These metals, therefore, are called noble metals. The remaining metals exist as minerals in their oxidised state. In anoxic or anaerobic conditions, reducing agents such as sulfur and nitrate can lead to corrosion, as evidenced during microbial corrosion (Smith etal.,20 ). 

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