Microbial PAH-degradation in soil: Degradation pathways and contributing factors

Adverse effects on the environment and high persistence in the microbial degradation and environmental fate of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are motivating interest. Many soil microorganisms can degrade PAHs and use various metabolic pathways to do so. However, both the physio-chemical characteristics of compounds as well as the physical, chemical, and biological properties of soils can drastically influence the degradation capacity of naturally occurring microorganisms for field bioremediation. Modern biological techniques have been widely used to promote the efficiency of microbial PAH-degradation and make the biodegradation metabolic pathways more clear. In this review microbial degradation of PAHs in soil is discussed, with emphasis placed on the main degradation pathways and the environmental factors affecting biodegradation.