Chloroethenes contaminants in the environment: Still a cause for concern

Abstract

Prior to 1980, chloroethenes were generally believed to be recalcitrant to degradation. Efforts to 
remediate sites polluted by this group of compounds were thus limited to the ineffective and tedious 
pump-and-treat method. The environmental significance of chloroethenes and the absence of effective 
alternative physical remediation methods have warranted intense scientific investigation into the role of 
microorganisms for detoxifying these environmentally important compounds to benign products. 
Several microbial mechanisms have therefore been identified to significantly degrade these compounds 
in soil and ground water polluted systems. This paper provides a mini-review of such mechanisms with 
the view of understanding the biodegradation processes for better exploitation for bioremediation of 
chloroethene contaminants, which continue to be of serious environmental challenges.