Microbial Bioremediation of Petroleum Hydrocarbons in Moderate to Extreme Environments and Application of “omics” Techniques to Evaluate Bioremediation Approaches and Efficiency

Abstract

Bioremediation techniques are considered environmentally friendly and economically viable for the removal of contaminants from soil, sediments and water. Bioremediation is an important tool for treating environments contaminated with petroleum hydrocarbons, due to the presence of toxic and recalcitrant compounds. Oil spills occur around the world in all types of environments, from moderate to those with extremes of temperature, pH, and salt concentrations. Thus, the development of effective bioremediation strategies for these conditions is critical for effective treatments. New approaches for monitoring environmental decontamination includes the use of biotechnological tools and omic studies to correlate the efficacy of treatment strategies with added microorganisms and microbial communities in the treated soils to the type of environment involved. The compilation and analysis of data from omic studies (metagenomics, metatranscriptomics and proteomics) carried out in soils and sediments from different environments contaminated with hydrocarbons will be discussed in this chapter in order to relate microbiological and metabolic diversity within the different bioremediation strategies.