Materials 2009, 2(1), 76-94; doi:10.3390/ma2010076
Review

Surfactant-mediated Biodegradation of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons

Jing-Liang Li 1,* email and Bing-Hung Chen 2,* email
1 Centre for Micro-Photonics, Faculty of Engineering and Industrial Sciences, Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, Victoria 3122, Australia 2 Department of Chemical Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, 1 University Road, Tainan 70101, Taiwan
* Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Received: 6 February 2009; in revised form: 19 February 2009 / Accepted: 20 February 2009 / Published: 23 February 2009
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biodegradability of Materials)
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Abstract: Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are toxic environmental pollutants that are known or suspected carcinogens or mutagens. Bioremediation has been used as a general way to eliminate them from the contaminated sites or aquifers, but their biodegradation is rather limited due to their low bioavailability because of their sparingly soluble nature. Surfactant-mediated biodegradation is a promising alternative. The presence of surfactants can increase the solubility of PAHs and hence potentially increase their bioavailability. However, inconclusive results have been reported on the effects of surfactant on the biodegradation of PAHs. In this work, surfactant-mediated biodegradation of PAHs is reviewed.
Keywords: Surfactant; solubilization; polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons; biodegradation and bioremediation

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Cite This Article

MDPI and ACS Style

Li, J.-L.; Chen, B.-H. Surfactant-mediated Biodegradation of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons. Materials 2009, 2, 76-94.

AMA Style

Li J-L, Chen B-H. Surfactant-mediated Biodegradation of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons. Materials. 2009; 2(1):76-94.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Li, Jing-Liang; Chen, Bing-Hung. 2009. "Surfactant-mediated Biodegradation of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons." Materials 2, no. 1: 76-94.

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