Biodegradation

Definitions

Biodegradation - "Transformation of a substance into new compounds through biochemical reactions or the actions of microorganisms such as bacteria." - U.S. Geological Survey, 2007

Biodegradation - "A process by which microbial organisms transform or alter (through metabolic or enzymatic action) the structure of chemicals introduced into the environment." - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2009

Biodegradation – “Breakdown of a substance catalyzed by enzymes in vitro or in vivo. This may be characterized for purpose of hazard assessment as:
1. Primary. Alteration of the chemical structure of a substance resulting in loss of a specific property of that substance.
2. Environmentally acceptable. Biodegradation to such an extent as to remove undesirable properties of the compound. This often corresponds to primary biodegradation but it depends on the circumstances under which the products are discharged into the environment.
3. Ultimate. Complete breakdown of a compound to either fully oxidized or reduced simple molecules (such as carbon dioxide/methane, nitrate/ammonium, and water). It should be noted that the products of biodegradation can be more harmful than the substance degraded.” – International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry, 1993

Biodegradation - "Biotransformation that results in degradation of the pesticide molecule also called biodegradation, although the latter term sometimes refers to degradation processes in which the pesticide serves as a substrate for growth (e.g., Bollag and Liu, 1990)." - Nowell and others, 1999

Biodegradability (or biodegradation potential) - "The relative ease with which petroleum hydrocarbons will degrade as a result of biological metabolism. Although virtually all petroleum hydrocarbons are biodegradable, biodegradability is highly variable and dependent somewhat on the type of hydrocarbon. In general, biodegradability increases with increasing solubility; solubility is inversely proportional to molecular weight." - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2009

Related Definitions

Aerobic

Aerobic Biodegradation

Anaerobic

Anaerobic Biodegradation

Anoxic

Biotransformation

Electron Acceptor

Electron Donor

Natural Attenuation

USGS Information on Biodegradation

• Crosscutting Topics, Toxic Substances Hydrology (Toxics) Program
• Natural Attenuation
• Contaminant Plume Geochemistry and Microbiology
• Toxics Program Biodegradation Investigations
• Biodegradation of Emerging Contaminants
• Fate of Landfill Leachate, Norman Municipal Landfill, Norman, Oklahoma
• Sewage Contamination in Sand and Gravel Aquifers, Cape Cod, Massachusetts
• Processes that Control the Natural Attenuation of Chlorinated Solvents
• Microbial Degradation of Chloroethenes in Groundwater Systems
• Application of Molecular Methods in Microbial Ecology to Understand the Natural Attenuation of Chlorinated Solvents
• Processes Affecting the Natural Attenuation of Fuels in Groundwater
• Crude Oil -- Bemidji, Minnesota
• Fuel Oxygenates -- Laurel Bay, South Carolina
• Gasoline -- Galloway Township, New Jersey [Completed]
• Produced Water -- Osage-Skiatook Petroleum Environmental Research Project, Oklahoma [Completed]
• Creosote Waste in Ground Water, Pensacola, Florida [Completed]
• Toxics Program Remediation Related Activities
• Biodegradation of Charcoal Production Wastes, Kingsford, Mich.
• Quantifying Subsurface Biodegredation, Norman Municipal Landfill, Norman, Okla.
• Can Trees Clean Up Ground Water? Phytoremediation of Trichloroethene-Contaminated Ground Water at Air Force Plant 4, Fort Worth, Tex.
• Natural Attenuation of Wood Preservatives in Ground Water, Pensacola, Fla.
• Natural Aquifer Restoration, Massachusetts Military Reservation, Cape Cod, Mass.
• RDX Biodegradation Assessment, Naval Submarine Base Bangor, Wash.
• Oxygen-Release Compound Remediation Tests, Laurel Bay, S.C.
• Quantifying Natural Attenuation at the Plume Scale, Galloway Township, N.J. and Laurel Bay, S.C.
• USGS National Research Program Biodegradation Related Projects
• Biogeochemistry of Carbon and Nitrogen in Aquatic Environments
• Chemical Transformations in Water Reclamation and Reuse
• Microbial Biogeochemistry of Aquatic Environments
• Multiphase Contaminant Transport, Reaction and Biodegradation
• Organic Compounds in Near-Surface Environments: Understanding Fate in a Changing Biogeochemical Landscape
• Partitioning of Solutes between Solid and Aqueous Phases
• Subsurface Microbiology Research - Bacteria, Contaminant Interactions
• Bioremediation Activities, USGS Microbiology Research
• Geochemical and Microbial Evidence of Fuel Biodegradation in a Contaminated Karst Aquifer in Southern Kentucky, June 1999

Related Headlines

• Sometimes the Question Is «Who Isn't Living There?»
• Do Natural Processes Mitigate Contamination from Landfill Leachate?
• Hormones Degrade in the Environment!
• Detergents in Streams May Just Disappear
• Hydrogen Measured in a New Test for Determining Subsurface Microbiological Activity at Contamination Sites
• New Report Presents a Framework for Assessing the Sustainability of Monitored Natural Attenuation
• RDX Biodegradation Under Metal-Reducing Conditions
• New Information on the Long-Term Fate of Ammonium in Ground Water
• Microorganisms Degrade MTBE Even at Winter Ground-Water Temperatures
• Does NDMA Biodegrade at Ground-Water Recharge Facilities?
• Ground-Water Recharge Affects Fate of Petroleum Contaminant Plumes
• History and Ecology of Chloroethene Biodegradation--A Review
• Using Oxygen to Enhance Biodegradation of Contaminants -- Lessons Learned
• USGS Scientists Contribute to the Landmark "Treatise on Geochemistry"
• A Unique Approach to Evaluating Natural Attenuation is Applied Worldwide
• Landmark Book Published on the Fate of Contaminants in the Environment: Partition and Adsorption of Organic Contaminants in Environmental Systems
• Using Oxygen to Clean Up Ground-Water Contamination
• MTBE Can Degrade Naturally Without Oxygen
• How Do You Clean Up Gasoline Spills Naturally?
• Relying on Nature to Clean Up Contaminated Ground Water
• MTBE Biodegrades Naturally in Stream Sediments
• Natural Attenuation for Groundwater Remediation
• Can a Sewage-Contaminated Aquifer Naturally Clean Itself?
• Natural Attenuation of MTBE at Laurel Bay, South Carolina

Other Information on Biodegradation

• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
  • Natural Attenuation, CLU-IN, Office of Superfund Remediation and Technology Innovation
  • Monitored Natural Attenuation (MNA), Office of Research and Development
  • Commonly Asked Questions Regarding the Use of Natural Attenuation for Petroleum Contaminated Sites at Federal Facilities
  • Commonly Asked Questions Regarding the Use of Natural Attenuation for Chlorinated Solvent Spills at Federal Facilities
• National Research Council Reports
• Natural Attenuation for Groundwater Remediation
• In Situ Bioremediation: When Does it Work?
• Alternatives for Ground Water Cleanup
• Environmental Inquiry - Biodegradation, Cornell University and Penn State University
• Biocatalysis/Biodegradation Database, University of Minnesota

References

Bollag, J.M., and Liu, S.Y., 1990, Biological transformation processes in pesticides, in Cheng, H.H., ed., Pesticides in the soil environment: Processes, impacts, and modeling: Madison, Wis., Soil Science Society of America, p. 169-211.

International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry, 1993, Glossary for chemists of terms used in toxicology: Pure and Applied Chemistry, v. 65, no. 9, p. 2003-2122.

Nowell, L.H., Capel, P.D., and Dileanis, P.D., 1999, Pesticides in stream sediment and aquatic biota--Distribution, trends, and governing factors: Boca Raton, Fla., Lewis Publishers, 1001 p.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2009, Glossary of technical terms: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, access date July 21, 2010.

U.S. Geological Survey, 2007, Glossary--Biodegradation: U.S. Geological Survey, access date July 21, 2010.