Microbiological Perspectives of Hydrocarbon Degradation: A Review

Author: Jagjot Kaur, Daljeet Singh Dhanjal and Reena Singh

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Abstract

Hydrocarbons are found in abundant quantities, naturally. A complex mixture of hydrocarbons is present in a majority of crude oil. The organic matter is decomposed into hydrogen and carbon, which are then bonded to form chains. Microorganisms like bacteria can degrade these, fungi and archaea etc., by different metabolic pathways. Hydrocarbons are considered toxic to the human race and environment. So, there is a need to remove these from the environment. Various methods are available, but some methods like the chemical method are not cost-effective. Therefore, microbial biodegradation is an effective alternative method. Employing microbial population for this purpose does not require high cost as compared to other technologies. Microbial degradation occurs either in aerobic or anaerobic conditions. The degradation processes are classified as aerobic or anaerobic microbial degradation of hydrocarbons. Many biochemical challenges are faced during the anaerobic degradation because of th

Keywords

Biodegradation, Hydrocarbons, Microbes, Sustainable

Conclusion

The comprehensive study of microbial biodegradation of hydrocarbons has focused on a variety of microbial populations and their degrading capacities. It deepens our knowledge of microbial procedures in hydrocarbon containing domains. Another significant conclusion of this study is the acknowledgement of microbial or biological preference over chemical methods. Chemically, hydrocarbon degradation methods are generally not suitable for the efficient synthesis of pure substances after degradation. For designing such experiments, some critical points have to be kept in mind, like the various factors which affect the degradation process, such as temperature, pH, salinity, concentration etc. Degradation of hydrocarbons can be performed in aerobic or anaerobic conditions. Depending on this, we classify the process of biodegradation as aerobic microbial degradation or anaerobic microbial degradation. To enhance this, biosurfactants are employed. Also, the role of enzymes in the entire process

References

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How to cite this article

Kaur, J., Dhanjal, D.S. and Singh, R. (2021). Microbiological Perspectives of Hydrocarbon Degradation: A Review. Biological Forum – An International Journal, 13(1): 440-445