ABSTRACT
The scope of this research is to study the biodegradation and partitioning of benzo(a)pyrene (B[a]P) contained in sludges in continuous growth systems with the longer term goal of developing engineering parameters for design of pilot plant systems which will be more effective than existing alternative technologies in reducing accumulations of persistent polynuclear aromatics (PNA’s) at Superfund sites. Design parameters will also be developed for the addition of an online waste reduction process as a cleanup stage for detoxification of hazardous organic compounds contained in the waste sludge generated from petroleum refineries and petrochemical plants.
