Microbes and their Secondary Metabolites: Agents in Bioremediation of Hydrocarbon Contaminated Site

Abstract

As the globalization increases, the demand of crude oil is also increases. The crude oil used as the fuel for the mechanical transportation of equipment or as the source of primary feedstock for many of the petrochemical industries. The petroleum hydrocarbons are major pollutant in the environment which further harms the ecosystem; the attention has been drawn to develop alternative technologies to eliminate these pollutants from the environment. Microbial remediation of hydrocarbon spills is an eco-friendly, economical approach. The microbial method of remediation is performed by addition of potential microorganisms which have tendency to utilize these hydrocarbons as a carbon source thus releasing carbon dioxide and water as by-products. Major constituents of crude oil are biodegradable so, bioremediation technique has proven to be cheap and efficient over other chemical methods. Thus, bioremediation can be considered as one of the best technologies to deal with petroleum product contaminated soil.