Ilia Rostami Abusaidi (PhD Student)
University of South Australia 

Project Title
Bioavailability of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and its impact on bioremediation

Biography
Ilia's background is in plant protection and plant pathology, specifically pest and disease control. He obtained earlier qualifications from the Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman-Iran. Ilia's other work includes a completed research project on 'Bioremediation of oil-spills in the water'.

Start Date
January 2008

Project Details
The research focuses on three PAH-contaminated soils with industrial background. The soils will be characterised (determination of contaminant concentrations and soil properties) and PAH degrading microorganisms (especially bacteria) will be enriched and isolated. Following the determination of PAH degradative capability of the isolates, soil microcosm experiments will be applied to determine the efficacy of bioremediation.

Bioavailability assays will be employed to determine whether bioremediation endpoints can be predicted prior to implementation or not. During the process, human bioavailability experiments also will be conducted to measure the impact of bioremediation on human health risk assessment. Factors influencing bioremediation and human health bioavailability will be studied as well.

PhD Thesis - Executive Summary
This thesis investigated the microbial degradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in liquid and soil matrices and the influence of PAH bioavailability on biodegradation and ecological/ human exposure. These research themes were investigated using three PAH contaminated Soils collected from a former wood preservation site, a former manufacturing gas plant and a tram yard site in South Australia.