Hydrocarbon degradation assessment: Biotechnical approaches involved

Abstract

The contamination of soil by petroleum hydrocarbons has resulted in an increased attention toward the development of sound and innovative technologies for its remediation. The current chemical and physical treatment approaches are effective for petroleum hydrocarbon degradation, but they stagnate in the desired properties; aside from that, they also commonly generate many harmful compounds that are powerful immunotoxicants and carcinogen to living beings. In contrast to chemical and physical approaches, biotechnical techniques are effectual treatments in terms of cost and safety on long-term use. These methods have displayed a great potentiality and inexpensive privilege because they are environment friendly. The use of biomaterials to accumulate and pre-concentrate hydrocarbon from aqueous solutions or terrestrial ecosystem has been evaluated by many researchers. However, for the predictable future, long-term tolerance studies are looked for. Therefore, this chapter will discuss and provide an overview on biological degradation and fundamental factors for the biodegradation process.