the characterization and application of biological remediation technology for organic contaminants

the continuous addition of industrial, municipal, and agricultural effluents to the environment has led to a great increase of toxic pollutants. it is well known that these pollutants are hazardous to animals, plants, microorganisms, and other living organisms including humans. as a result, effective technologies should be developed to remove these contaminants. biological remediation, as an economically feasible and environmentally friend approach, has been extensively studied and reported. in this review, the biological pathways and mechanism of most important contaminants, such as aromatic compounds, ionic liquids, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, polychlorinated biphenyls, etc, are described and discussed with some details according to a vast number literatures published in recent years.