Control of Landfill Gases Emission with Particular Emphasis on Btex

Landfilling is the most popular way for waste disposal and has been widely applied globally. A large quantity of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) is released from landfills. Among them, BTEX (benzene, toluene ethylbenzene and xylene) is a major group of pollutants, which have now become a cause for concern worldwide because of their toxic properties. For this reason, strict regulations have come into force which induce researchers to find methods to reduce their emissions. This article contains descriptions of several aerobic metabolic pathways for the degradation of BTEX, which are provided by two enzymatic systems (dioxygenases and monooxygenases). Special attention was paid to biofiltration - a method for improving the efficiency of treatment of BTEX released from landfills.