Microbial Degradation and Bioremediation of Petroleum Hydrocarbon Contaminants

The world’s largest accidental release of oil to date, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill drew attention to our lack of effective cleanup methods and contingency planning. The recent discoveries about the specialized traits of marine microorganisms have documented their unique physical and genetic adaptations in the ever changing marine environment and their important role in various bioremediation technologies. The success of using bioremediation techniques depends on one’s ability to establish and maintain conditions that favor enhanced biostimulation in polluted areas. Numerous experiments have indicated the effectiveness of bioremediation in degrading petroleum hydrocarbons