Halogenated organic compounds constitute one of the largest groups of environmental chemicals. The industrial production of new halogenated organic compounds has increased throughout the last century peaking in the 1960s, and continuing in widespread use today. Organohalides are integral to a variety of industrial applications, including use as solvents, degreasing agents, biocides, pharmaceuticals, plasticizers, hydraulic and heat transfer fluids, and intermediates for chemical synthesis, to name a few. It is important to recognize the beneficial aspects of halogenated organic compounds, as well as their potentially deleterious impact on the environment and health. Recognition ofthe adverse environmental effects ofmanytypes oforganohalide compounds has led to efforts to reduce or eliminate the most problematic ones. Although organohalide compounds are typically considered to be anthropogenic industrial compounds, they have their counterpart in several thousands of natural biogenic and geogenic organohalides, representing most classes of organic chemicals. Natural sources account for a significant portion of the global organohalogen budget. This volume authored by recognized experts in the field provides a current perspective on how both natural and synthetic organohalides are formed and degraded, and how these processes are incorporated into a global halogen cycle. The focus is on microbial processes, since these play a major role both in the production and degradation, i. e. , cycling of halogenated organic compounds inthe environment. This book is organized into five parts. Part I, Introduction, provides a global perspective on the issues of organohalides and their fate in the environment.

This book summarizes the current state of knowledge concerning bacteria that use halogenated organic compounds as respiratory electron acceptors. The discovery of organohalide-respiring bacteria has expanded the range of electron acceptors used for energy conservation, and serves as a prime example of how scientific discoveries are enabling innovative engineering solutions that have transformed remediation practice. Individual chapters provide in-depth background information on the discovery, isolation, phylogeny, biochemistry, genomic features, and ecology of individual organohalide-respiring genera, including Dehalococcoides, Dehalogenimonas, Dehalobacter, Desulfitobacterium and Sulfurospirillum, as well as organohalide-respiring members of the Deltaproteobacteria. The book introduces readers to the fascinating biology of organohalide-respiring bacteria, offering a valuable resource for students, engineers and practitioners alike.

This contributed volume compiles the latest improvements in the field of biotechnology. It focuses on topics that comprises industrial, environment, agricultural and medical related issues to technology and biological studies and exhibits the correlation between the biological world and the dependence of humans on it. The book is organized into five parts covering the role of biotechnology in industrial products, environmental remediation, agriculture and pharmacological agents. Ranging from micro-scale studies to macro, it covers a huge domain of agricultural biotechnology and focuses on important commercial crops (e.g. cacao and coffee), arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, flow and distribution of phosphorus in agricultural soils in the Latin American region. Overall, the book portrays the importance of modern biotechnology and its role in solving the problems in modern day life. The book is a ready reference for practicing students, researchers of environmental engineering, chemical engineering, agricultural engineering, and other allied fields likewise.