Bioremediation of Pesticides: A Case Study

Organic pollutants such as pesticides persist in the environment even decades after their use and manufacture in the developed world. In developing countries, some harmful pesticides continue to be used, and these may reach the developed world through long-distance atmospheric transport. To prevent continued human exposure, a site contaminated by pesticides may be treated safely and economically by bioremediation. The bioremediation of a site may be accomplished successfully by considering the prevalent environmental conditions, the microorganisms that may degrade the contaminants most effectively, the factors that affect the rate of biodegradation, the chemical structure of the contaminants, and the possible biological reactions that may occur. This chapter explores these factors and further illustrates them through a case study of the biodegradation of pentachlorophenol in contaminated soils collected from cities of Columbia and New Mexico. © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.