Environmental condition biodegradation

Van der Meer JR, TNP Bosma, WP de Bruin, H Harms, C Holliger, HHM Rijnaarts, ME Tros, G Schraa, AJB Zehnder (1992) Versatility of soil column experiments to study biodegradation of halogenated compounds under environmental conditions. Biodegradation 3 265-284. 

An important aspect of biodegradation, which is often forgotten, is the importance of specific environmental conditions. Biodegradability can differ from one environment to another therefore, it is important to develop different standards for different environments. This includes not only composting and water but also soil, landfill, marine and biogasification. Again, discussion on the acceptance criteria is not limited to biodegradation, but also to compatibility with the system and environmental safety. 

Bioremediation systems in operation today rely on microorganisms indigenous to contaminated sites. The two main approaches, based on the actions of native microbial communities, are biostimulation and intrinsic bioremediation. In biostimulation, the activity of native microbes is encouraged, creating (in situ or ex situ) the optimum environmental conditions and supplying nutrients and other chemicals essential for their metabolism. The vast majority of bioremediation projects are based on this biostimulation approach. Intrinsic bioremediation is a remedial option that can be applied when there is strong evidence that biodegradation will occur naturally over time without any external stimulation i.e., a capable microbial community exists at the site, the required nutrients are available, and the environmental conditions are favorable. An additional prerequisite is that the naturally... 

Most wood is durable and, under favorable environmental conditions, can last for extremely long periods of time. This is why in most areas of the world wood remains from all periods are often found in archaeological sites. Like all materials, however, wood is susceptible to weathering and biodegradation. 

Fogel, S., Lancione, R., Sewall, A., and Boething, R.S. Enhanced biodegradation of methoxychlor in soil under enhanced environmental conditions, Appl. Environ. Microbiol, 44(1) 113-120, 1982. 

Dichlorobenzene will exist predominantly in the vapor-phase in the atmosphere, and its detection in rainwater suggests that atmospheric removal via washout is possible (Ligocki et al. 1985). Depending on soil type, the compound is expected to be moderately mobile in soil and to volatilize from surface water and soil surfaces to the atmosphere. Volatilization, sorption, biodegradation, and bioaccumulation are likely to be competing processes, with the dominant fate being determined by local environmental conditions. 

Chiellini E, Corti A, Solero R (1999) Biodegradation of poIy(vinyl alcohol) based blown films under different environmental conditions. Polym Degrad Stab 64(2) 305-312... 

All cresol isomers can be rapidly removed from environmental media. The dominant removal mechanism in air appears to be oxidation by hydroxyl radical during the day and nitrate radical at night, with half-lives on the order of a day. In water under aerobic conditions, biodegradation will be the dominant removal mechanism half-lives will be on the order of a day to a week. Under anaerobic conditions, biodegradation should still be important, but half-lives should be on the order of weeks to months. In soil under aerobic conditions, biodegradation is also important, but half-lives are less certain, although probably on the order of a week or less. 

Dry environmental quality PetroKlenz must be reconstituted with water and made into a slurry. The organisms will be ineffective if they are applied as dry cultures over the oil. The effective use of PetroKlenz in a biotreatment program is dependent upon the environmental conditions present at the site. Adverse conditions such as cold temperatures, oxygen, nitrogen, or phosphorus-deficient water, chemical toxic load, highly acidic or alkaline conditions, or excessive dilution of biomass by tides and currents, may retard or prevent biodegradation. 

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