Biological degradation of creosote and oil products

Heterocyclic aromatic compounds containing nitrogen, sulfur or oxygen in the aromatic structure (NSO-compounds) are released in mixture with other organic compounds from mineral oil products and creosote oil.
Traditionally, the NSO-compounds are not included in chemical analysis of comtaminated soil- and water samples from field sites. The compounds are more soluble in water than their hydrocarbon analogues and they are potential carcinogenic, mutagenic, and have many ecotoxic effects. The knowledge about the degradability of the NSO-compounds are sparse. Therefore, investigations carried out in the project are focusing on the degradability og the NSO-compounds under aerobic and anaerobic conditions. The experiments are conducted in mixtures of NSO-compounds and organic compounds or with a NSO-compound as the sole source of carbon and energy. The knowledge obtained during the project will help us to understand the migration of organic compounds in soil and water from contaminated sites.