Enhanced bioremediation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by environmentally friendly techniques.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are recognized as a worldwide environmental contamination problem because of their intrinsic chemical stability, high resistance to various transformation processes, and toxicity property. Because of the wide distribution of the PAHs in the environment, human exposure to the PAHs is likely to occur from dermal contact, ingestion of particles, inhalation of airborne dust, or bioaccumulation in the food chains. Therefore, their remediation is considered indispensable for environmental clean up and human health. The objective of this article is to provide a quick review on toxicity of PAHs, biodegradation of PAHs, influence of selected environmental factors on PAHs biodegradation, selected techniques for enhancing biodegradation of PAHs, and a detailed description of two environmentally friendly techniques used in our laboratory for PAHs enhanced bioremediation. Finally, an overview on the green chemistry concept and its relevance to development of several environmental fingerprinting tools for predicting successful PAHs detoxification are discussed.