We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Biotechnological Potentials of Microbe Assisted Eco-Recovery of Crude Oil Impacted Environment
Summary
This review examines how bacteria can be used to bioremediate soil and water contaminated with crude oil. Microbe-based cleanup approaches are also relevant to microplastic degradation, as some bacteria have been found to break down certain types of plastic.
Globally, the environment is facing a very challenging situation with constant influx of crude oil and its derivatives due to rapid urbanization and industrialization. The release of this essential energy source has caused tremendous consequences on land, water, groundwater, air and biodiversity. Crude oil is a very complex and variable mixture of thousands of individual compounds that can be degraded with microbes with corresponding enzymatic systems harboring the genes. With advances in biotechnology, bioremediation has become one of the most rapidly developing fields of environmental restoration, utilizing microorganisms to reduce the concentration and toxicity of various chemical pollutants, such as petroleum hydrocarbons, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, polychlorinated biphenyls, phthalate esters, nitroaromatic compounds and industrial solvents. Different remediation methods have been introduced and applied with varied degrees of success in terms of reduction in contamination concentration without considering ecotoxicity and restoration of biodiversity. Researchers have now developed methods that consider ecotoxicology, environmental sustainability and ecorestoration in remediation of crude oil impacted sites and they are categorized as biotechnological tools such as bioremediation. The approach involves a natural process of microorganisms with inherent genetic capabilities completely mineralizing/degrading contaminants into innocuous substances. Progressive advances in bioremediation such as the use of genetically engineered microbes have become an improved system for empowering microbes to degrade very complex recalcitrant substances through the modification of rate-limiting steps in the metabolic pathway of hydrocarbon degrading microbes to yield increase in mineralization rates or the development of completely new metabolic pathways incorporated into the bacterial strains for the degradation of highly persistent compounds. Other areas discussed in this chapter include the biosurfactant-enhanced bioremediation, microbial and plant bioremediation (phytoremediation), their mechanism of action and the environmental factors influencing the processes.
Sign in to start a discussion.
More Papers Like This
Isolation and screening of crude oil-degrading microbes from contaminated sites in Koko Community, Delta State, Nigeria
Researchers isolated crude oil-degrading bacteria from contaminated sites in Nigeria and screened them for bioremediation potential. This bioremediation study focuses on oil contamination and has limited direct connection to microplastics, though the same microbial approaches are being explored for plastic degradation.
Advancing Eco-Sustainable Bioremediation for Hydrocarbon Contaminants: Challenges and Solutions
This review covers eco-friendly methods for cleaning up hydrocarbon pollution in soil and water using bacteria, fungi, and microalgae. While focused on petroleum contaminants rather than microplastics, the bioremediation approaches discussed are relevant because microplastics can absorb and carry hydrocarbons, and cleaning up one pollutant can help address both. Understanding biological cleanup methods is important for reducing the overall toxic burden in environments where people live and grow food.
The Role Of Bacteria In Microplastic Bioremediation And Implications For Marine Ecosystems
This literature review summarizes how bacteria can be harnessed through bioremediation to break down microplastics in marine environments, cataloging the bacterial species and mechanisms involved. While biological degradation is slow and not yet a practical cleanup solution at scale, identifying effective bacteria is an important step toward developing tools to reduce the long-term accumulation of microplastics in ocean ecosystems.
The trend of bioremediation as an effective technology in soil decontamination
Not relevant to microplastics — this review covers bioremediation techniques using bacteria, fungi, and plants to clean up soil contaminated with hydrocarbons, pesticides, and heavy metals.
Enhanced remediation of petroleum in soil by petroleum-degrading bacterium strain TDYN1 and the effects of microplastics
Researchers conducted a pot experiment to evaluate the petroleum hydrocarbon degradation capability of bacterium strain TDYN1 in soil and to assess how microplastics affect the bioremediation process. They found that while TDYN1 effectively degraded total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH), the presence of microplastics in soil influenced degradation dynamics, with implications for in situ bioremediation strategies.