Bioremediation of Oil Contaminated Soil and Water

Abstract

Pollution from petroleum, plant and animal origin oils, which are released via oil production and shipping operations, refineries, accidental spills, effluents of different industries such as hotels, restaurants, food processing, etc. is ubiquitous in the environment. This necessitates the need for cost effective and efficient remediation technologies. Dealing with the problem chemically and physically is known to generate secondary pollutants and incurs high cost. Expediting natural attenuation via stimulating pollutant degradation activity of residential microbial community and/or introducing competent microflora in to polluted sites has been identified as the most successful and cost effective technology and is termed bioremediation. Phytoremediation, an emerging branch of bioremediation, has also been recognized as a promising treatment technology. Chapter examines the extent of work carried out in in situ and ex situ bioremediation strategies to mitigate oil pollution, the validity of such practices in terms of efficiency of the process and the future research directives.