ABSTRACT
Biodiesel consumption is ever-increasing worldwide through its use as pure product (B100) or its blending with petroleum diesel. In this context, it is still necessary to define the ecotoxicological-safety endpoints and to decipher the mechanisms of biodegradation in sites contaminated by biodiesel and its blends.This chapter aims to contribute to better elucidate the intrinsic bioremediation of soil contaminated by pure biodiesel (B100) and its low-level blends, at different depths. Employing contaminants degradation, culturable microbial biomass and ecotoxicity analyzes it was possible to demonstrate that the B5 and B100 biodegradation in contaminated soil can occurs satisfactorily up to 60 cm deep, mediated by autochthonous fungi and bacteria. However, our findings strongly suggest that Total Petroleum Hydrocarbon (TPH) and Fatty Acid Methyl Esters (FAME) biodegradability is impaired when they are presented in blends.
