Potential of bioaugmentation for remediation of polluted environments

Abstract

After repeated applications and long use of persistent pesticides in soils, a phenomenon known as enhanced (accelerated) degradation of some pesticides has been observed in soils. This has led to isolation of key microbes known to degrade these persistent pesticides in soils. The isolated microbes which are characterized and identified have been used to enhance the degradation of pesticides in contaminated soils and hence the term, bioaugmentation. In this paper we discuss various pesticide compounds which for so long were known to be recalcitrant, but later could be subject to accelerated degradation. Key degraders were isolated and characterized and are potential candidates for bioaugmentation for remediation of contaminated sites. We report the successes registered in studies of atrazine, terbuthylazine, hexazinone, diuron, carbofuran and chlorpyrifos and metribuzin.