Abstract
The recalcitrant chemicals can resist biodegradation for various reasons and some are more resistant than others. The failure of a compound to be degraded or its slow biodegradation may be because ofenvironment-related factors, chemical-related factors or a combination of both. Many recalcitrant chemicals are toxic to some extent to some or most microbes. The examples include most phenols (especially chloro- and nitro-derivatives) and fungicides. Concentration is a major factor in the fate of recalcitrant compounds in the environment. If the concentration is too high, problems of toxicity may arise. If a chemical enters an environment with very few organisms in it, then the degradation will either be slow or will not occur. Pristine water in the upper reaches of a stream, ground water (in aquifers), and subsoil have very small microbial communities, thus the recalcitrant compounds entering these environments are degraded slowly. The presence of acclimated organisms, which are previously exposed to a target compound, can greatly accelerate biodegradation.
Published Version
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