Abstract
Petroleum hydrocarbons are persistent organic pollutants. They reach the oceans through oil spill accidents, natural seepage, and discharges from refinery plants. These hydrocarbons pose potential threat to marine biodiversity causing biological and ecological damage. Volatilization and bioaccumulation are means by which these organic pollutants cause health implications in humans. The microbial community, especially bacteria, possesses inherent potential to catabolize complex petroleum hydrocarbon through enzymatic machinery in a biodegradation process. Bacteria-mediated bioremediation of petroleum hydrocarbon is well-documented in terms of their substrate hydrocarbon selectivity/specificity, their metabolic route, and biodegradation efficiency rate. Due to the various scientific interventions and biotechnological advances in the past few years, it is possible to identify bacterial genera without culturing, and to design suitable bacterial strains for efficient remediation of petroleum hydrocarbons. This chapter discusses bacterial bioremediation of petroleum hydrocarbon in ocean and thereby emphasizes on the utility of this ecofriendly alternative for cleaning oil spills.
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