Contaminants often persist in the environment due to a lack of suitable electrons acceptors and
the addition of chelators, electron shuttles or other electron acceptors in the subsurface environment is not feasible. Pure cultures of Geobacter metallireducens are able to oxidize benzoate , and toluene using an electrode as the final electron acceptor. Providing an electrode to hydrocarbon-contaminated soils accelerated the rates of toluene, benzene and naphthalene degradation. The use of an electrode as an electron acceptor in the soil is attractive, as the microbes responsible for degradation will co-localize with the contaminant at the graphite anode.