Treatment of Pollutants

Alkyl Benzyl Sulfonates (ABS)

Alkyl Benzyl Sulfonates are the major components of laundry detergents. ABS have a polar sulfonate and a nonpolar alkyl end. ABS was specifically redesigned because its first form was resistant to biodegradation, which caused extensive foaming of rivers. The newly designed ABS is more easily biodegraded. Biodegradable polymers can be synthesized to replace or augment various plastics which have been accumulating in the environment because of resistance to microbial attack. By understanding the role of microbial degradation there is a potential to produce synthetic compounds that are biodegrabale and can be safely disposed of into the environment.

Chlorinated Hydrocarbons

Over 10 million tons of oil pollutants enter the marine environment each year as a result of accidental spillages and disposal of oily wastes. Most oil pollution problems originate from minor spillages which result from routine operations. Microbial degradation of petroleum pollutants are a major process and are the reason oceans are not covered with oil. However, it is an immense challenge for microorganisms to degrade all the components of a petroleum mixture. Parts of this mixture are toxic to many microorganisms. As the complexity of the mixture increases so does the resistance to biodegradation. Even at low concentrations, dissolved components of petroleum can disrupt the processes of some marine organisms. Microbial biodegradation of these compounds requires suitable growth temperatures and available supplies of fixed forms of nitrogen, phosphate and molecular oxygen. In oceans, these necessary conditions often limit the rates of petroleum biodegradation. In addition, more rapid rates of degradation occur when there is a mixed microbial community than can be accomplished by a single species. Thus, in many cases environmnetal factors, rather than the gentic capabilty of a microorganism, limit the biodegradation of these pollutants.