ABSTRACT
Due to the relatively high water solubility, monoaromatic hydrocarbons and phenolic compounds are among the most frequently identified water pollutants. Monoaromatics like benzene, toluene and the xylenes, are the main constituents of the water soluble fraction of gasoline and other oil products, and they are widely used as solvents. Phenolics often occur in connection with creosote and tar pollution in ground water and else in many types of industrial process water discharge (Cooper and Wheatstone, 1973). Furthermore, they are often identified as intermediary metabolites in the degradation of other aromatic compounds.
