ISSN 2736-1624
Frontiers of Agriculture and Food Technology ISSN 7295-2849 Vol. 8 (6), pp. 001-008, June, 2018. © International Scholars Journals
Review
Chloroethenes contaminants in the environment: Still a cause for concern
Ademola O. Olaniran1,3*, Dorsamy Pillay1,2 and Balakrishna Pillay1
1Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science and Agriculture, University of KwaZulu-Natal (Westville Campus), Private Bag X54001, Durban 4000, Republic of South Africa.
2Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Engineering, Science and Built Environment, Durban Institute of Technology, P.O.Box 1334, Durban 4000, Republic of South Africa.
3Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria.
Accepted 13 April, 2018
Abstract
Prior to 1980, chloroethenes were generally believed to be recalcitrant to degradation. Efforts to remediate sites polluted by this group of compounds were thus limited to the ineffective and tedious pump-and-treat method. The environmental significance of chloroethenes and the absence of effective alternative physical remediation methods have warranted intense scientific investigation into the role of microorganisms for detoxifying these environmentally important compounds to benign products. Several microbial mechanisms have therefore been identified to significantly degrade these compounds in soil and ground water polluted systems. This paper provides a mini-review of such mechanisms with the view of understanding the biodegradation processes for better exploitation for bioremediation of chloroethene contaminants, which continue to be of serious environmental challenges.
Key words: Bioremediation, chloroethenes, cometabolism, oxidation, reductive dechlorination.