Question

Why are some xenobiotics biodegraded slower than crude oil and petroleum products?

A) Xenobiotics were designed to inhibit microbial growth.
B) Some xenobiotics are novel compounds that differ from naturally occurring chemicals, thus microorganisms have not yet evolved to effectively degrade them.
C) Only cometabolic microbial processes degrade xenobiotics.
D) Chlorinated compounds are so toxic that biodegradation is not possible.

Answer 1

Xenobiotics are biodegraded slower than crude oil and petroleum products due to being novel compounds, cometabolic microbial processes, and the toxicity of chlorinated compounds.

Step-by-step explanation:

Some xenobiotics are biodegraded slower than crude oil and petroleum products for several reasons:

1. Some xenobiotics are novel compounds that differ from naturally occurring chemicals. Microorganisms have not yet evolved to effectively degrade them, resulting in slower biodegradation.
2. Only some xenobiotics are biodegraded through cometabolic microbial processes, which means they are degraded as by-products of the microbial metabolism of other compounds.
3. Chlorinated compounds, like some xenobiotics, can be highly toxic and inhibit biodegradation.