title

Research for the Environment

International Symposium

Microbial contaminant degradation
at biogeochemical interfaces

Leipzig, March 2nd - 4th, 2010

RAISEBIO

HIGRADE

Summary

From March 2 to 4, 2010, an international symposium on "Microbial contaminant degradation at biogeochemical interfaces" will be organized at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research UFZ in Leipzig, Germany.

Scope and aims

Microbial degradation of pollutants in soils is mainly controlled by their bioavailability. Reduced bioavailability is a result of different soil processes such as sorption, limited availability of electron acceptors, physical separation of pollutants and potential degraders. The chemical environment in the soil, in particular the availability of water and the quantity and quality of soil organic matter, are the main drivers of microbial activity in soils.

The symposium aims at:

– highlighting possible mechanisms of reduced bioavailability,

– assessing the possibilities to quantify and predict bioavailability in soil systems,

– revealing how microorganisms can affect bioavailability of pollutants in soils,

– evaluating the influence of chemical activities of water and pollutants,

– assessing the influence of soil properties such as mineral surfaces, soil organic matter and water content.

About the symposium

The meeting brings together international experts, who are interested in the topic of bioavailability of pollutants and microbial activity in soils. The programme includes lectures and poster presentations. The potential consequences of the limited bioavailability and chemical activity of pollutants in soils for an appropriate risk assessment of the compounds will be discussed. We kindly invite you to participate and contribute. Marie Curie Host Fellowships for Early Stage Training 'RAISEBIO'

Marie Curie Host Fellowships for Early Stage Training RAISEBIO