A highly carcinogenic nature, low allowable release concentrations and ongoing accumulation in land/water ecosystems all contribute to the fact that many sites on the National Priorities List (NPL) established by EPA name polynuclear aromatics (PNAS) as contaminants. High costs and deficient available capacity associated with incineration technology motivates investigation of bioremediation as a treatment alternative. Biodegradation of benzo [a] pyrene found in oil refinery and petrochemical plant sludges has been studied using a continuous flow stirred tank reactor. Evaluation of microbial growth showed that the Monod growth model was most appropriate with kinetic coefficients indicating microbial populations are capable of performing similar to that found in conventional suspended growth waste treatment systems.