ABSTRACT
Few of the compounds that are the object of bioremediation programs are readily degraded, and although many have been shown to be degradable in controlled laboratory experiments, the cardinal question is whether they are degraded in the speci c environment. Biodegradation implies a signi cant degree of mineralization, and not merely biotransformation (Chapter 2). The general aspects of bioremediation have been discussed by Thomas and Ward (1989), Morgan and Watkinson (1989a,b), Edgehill (1992), and Alexander (1995a). Discussion of the pathways followed during the biodegradation and biotransformation of a wide range of xenobiotics by both bacteria and fungi has already been given in Chapters 7 through 11. This attempts to provide a general background to details, which are discussed in Chapters 13 and 14.
