In this timely book, expert international authors critically review all of the most important topics in this exciting field. This book is unique in that it is the first to review the area from a molecular biology and genomics perspective. Topics covered include: aerobic and anaerobic biodegradation of aromatic compounds; molecular detection methods (e.g. microautoradiography, mRNA analyses, etc.); genome-based predictive modeling; elucidation of regulatory networks; bioavailability; chemotaxis and transport issues; functional genomic analyses; natural attenuation; community fingerprinting and metagenomics; biotreatment; and biocatalysts engineering. The book will be essential reading for microbial degradation and bioremediation scientists, and of general interest for microbiologists working in field of environmental microbiology.