Biodegradation of petroleum by microorganisms

One of the biggest environmental problems today is hydrocarbon pollution resulting from the activities related to the petrochemical industry. Mechanical and chemical methods that are commonly used to remove hydrocarbons from contaminated sites in terms of influence are limited and costly.Bioremediation technology is the promising for the the treatment of hydrocarbon contaminants. Bioremediation works basically on biodegradation that results conversion of complex organic contaminants to other simpler organic compounds by biological agents like microorganisms. Different factors affect the biodegradation of petroleum hydrocarbons .Among physical factors, Temperature has a direct impact on the chemical structure of pollutants so plays an important role in the biodegradation of hydrocarbons.This article presents an updated overview of microbial degradation of petroleum hydrocarbons by microorganisms in different ecosystems