PARTIALLY OXIDIZED POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC-HYDROCARBONS SHOW AN INCREASEDBIOAVAILABILITY AND BIODEGRADABILITY

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons have a low water solubility and tend to adsorb on soil particles, which both result in slow bioremediation processes. Many microorganisms, known for their ability to degrade pol ycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, only partially oxidize these compounds. White rot fungi, for instance, convert polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbo ns to more water soluble and bioavailable products. Polycyclic aromati c hydrocarbon metabolites were more readily mineralized by natural mix ed bacterial cultures, like activated sludge and soil, than the parent polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon compounds. These results suggest that sequential breakdown by white rot fungi followed by indigenous bacter ia leads to an effective polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon bioremediatio n process.