Biodegradation is the main process for the removal of organic compounds from the environment, but proceeds slowly for many synthetic chemicals of environmental concern. Research on microbial biodegradation pathways revealed that recalcitrance is – among other factors – caused by biochemical blockages resulting in dysfunctional catabolic routes. This has raised interest in the possibility to construct microorganisms with improved catabolic activities by genetic engineering. Although this goal has been pursued for decades, no full-scale applications have emerged. This perspective explores the lagging implementation of genetically engineered microorganisms in practical bioremediation. The major technical and scientific issues are illustrated by comparing two examples, that of 1,2-dichloroethane where successful full-scale application of pump-and-treat biotreatment processes has been achieved, and 1,2,3-trichloropropane, for which protein and genetic engineering yielded effective bacterial cultures that still await application.

中文翻译：

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基因工程微生物对地下水生物修复的观点。

生物降解是从环境中去除有机化合物的主要过程，但对于许多与环境有关的合成化学品，其降解过程却很缓慢。对微生物生物降解途径的研究表明，除其他因素外，顽固性是由生化阻断导致功能性分解代谢途径失调引起的。这引起了人们对通过基因工程构建具有改善的分解代谢活性的微生物的兴趣。尽管这一目标已经实现了数十年，但仍未出现全面应用。该观点探讨了基因工程微生物在实际生物修复中的滞后实施。通过比较以下两个示例来说明主要的技术和科学问题：