Anaerobic

Anaerobic means without oxygen. More specifically, it refers to occurring or living without oxygen present; therefore, the chemistry of the system, environment, or organism is characterized by reductive conditions. Many organic contaminants are degraded under anaerobic conditions by anaerobic bacteria called anaerobes. This process is known as anaerobic biodegradation. Anerobes use nitrate, sulfate, iron, manganese, and carbon dioxide as their electron acceptors. A related term is anoxic.

More Information

• History and Ecology of Chloroethene Biodegradation–A Review
• Using Oxygen to Enhance Biodegradation of Contaminants – Lessons Learned
• Using Oxygen to Clean Up Ground-Water Contamination
• MTBE Can Degrade Naturally Without Oxygen
• How do you Clean Up Gasoline Spills Naturally?

References

• Chapelle, F.H., 2000, Ground-Water Microbiology and Geochemistry: New York, John Wiley and Sons, 468 p.
• Natural Attenuation for Groundwater Remediation, 2000: National Academies Press
• In Situ Bioremediation: When Does it Work?,1993: National Academies Press
• EPA, Underground Storage Tanks Glossary of Technical Terms
• IUPAC, 1996, Glossary of Terms Relating to Pesticides: Pure Applied Chemistry, v. 68, no. 5, p. 1167-1193.
• The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 2000: Houghton Mifflin Company, Fourth Edition.

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