ABSTRACT
Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are class of synthetic organic compounds distinguished by their ability to persist in the environment for a long time by resisting degradation through ambient environmental process. POPs are synthesized either intentionally or unintentionally as industrial products, agrochemicals, or unintended by-products of industrial synthesis or combustions. Natural attenuation is the use of biological, physical, and chemical process for transformation, reduction, containment, and/or destruction of pollutants to minimize their toxicity, concentration, mass, or mobility in the environment. The bioremediation is the mechanism for degradation of pollutants in the environment by biological methods. Monitored natural attenuation is an in-situ bioremediation monitoring strategy relying on the process of natural attenuation to monitor degradation of pollutants by naturally occurring processes in different environmental matrices. Catabolic pathways are cellular processes mediated by enzymes and transport systems and modulated by regulatory and structural genes. A microbial catabolic pathway has evolved to utilize organic pollutants as the sole source of carbon and energy.
