Authors : Ehenenden Iyobosa, Meng Xianagang, Ning Hai Jun, Shu Fang, Wang Zhennan
DOI : 10.18231/j.ijmr.2020.022
Volume : 7
Issue : 2
Year : 2020
Page No : 104-112
Crude oil contributes a major percentage to the source of energy used on earth, however, hydrocarbon
components have been classified to the family of carcinogens and neurotoxic organic pollutants. The
inappropriate drilling, transportation, and usage lead to the increment of soil, air, and water body petroleum
hydrocarbon pollution. If this menace is not put in check as a matter of urgency, it can cause an
epidemic outbreak in an affected community, shortage in agriculture produces output, threatening of soil
useful microbial biome and environmental disaster. Bioremediation as promising modern biotechnology is
capable of mineralizing hydrocarbon pollutants into water, carbon dioxide, cell proteins, and an inorganic
compound. Indigenous or genetically modified microbes are able to secrete enzymes for the synthesis of
biosurfactants that break down organic pollutants into a less toxic form. Bioremediation is not only potent
in degrading organic pollutants, but it is also environmentally friendly and cheap compared to other nonnatural
methods. Therefore, this paper combined and presents a review of empirical researches done on
microbial bioremediation of petroleum hydrocarbons pollutants in different countries.
Keywords: Crude oil, Hydrocarbons, Soil pollution, Bioremediation, Bacteria, Biosurfactant, Gene.