Chapter 10
Microbes: A Novel Source
of Bioremediation for Degradation
of Hydrocarbons
Mridul Shakya, Poonam Verma, Sunil Kumar, and Sardul Singh Sandhu
Contents
10.1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248
10.2 Mechanism of Oil Degradation by Microorganism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251
10.2.1 Degradation of Oil and Hydrocarbon by Bacteria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251
10.2.2 Biodegradation of Oil and Petroleum by Fungi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252
10.2.3 Biodegradation of Oil and Petroleum by Algae . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253
10.2.4 Biodegradation of Oil and Hydrocarbons by Actinomycetes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255
10.3 Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256
Abstract In our daily life, the demand for liquid petroleum products is increasing
day by day. Crude oil-derived hydrocarbons, the largest group of environmental
pollutants found worldwide, pollute our environments severely. Oil or hydrocarbons
cause drastic impacts on living organisms. The many reports about their toxicity
emphasize the ultimate need to remove them from marine and terrestrial environments. For cleaning up pollution by these hydrocarbons, bioremediation seems to be
the most acceptable and economically justified method. Bioremediation is considered one of the most sustainable cleanup techniques, but its potential has not been
fully expressed in the field because it operates too slowly to meet the immediate
demands of a given location. The process of bioremediation is carried out by various
microorganisms. Therefore, in this review, we present information about methods of
oil degradation by such microorganisms as bacteria, fungi, algae, and actinobacteria.
These microbes can help degrade oil or hydrocarbons. This review presents the
unique characteristics of oil-degrading microbes. In addition, it is a starting point for
M. Shakya · P. Verma · S. Kumar · S. S. Sandhu (*)
Bio-Design Innovation Centre, Ekatm Bhawan, Rani Durgavati University, Jabalpur, Madhya
Pradesh, India
e-mail: ssandhu@redifmail.com
© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2021
D. G. Panpatte, Y. K. Jhala (eds.), Microbial Rejuvenation of Polluted Environment,
Microorganisms for Sustainability 25, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-7447-4_10
247
Microbes: A Novel Source
of Bioremediation for Degradation
of Hydrocarbons
Mridul Shakya, Poonam Verma, Sunil Kumar, and Sardul Singh Sandhu
Contents
10.1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248
10.2 Mechanism of Oil Degradation by Microorganism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251
10.2.1 Degradation of Oil and Hydrocarbon by Bacteria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251
10.2.2 Biodegradation of Oil and Petroleum by Fungi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252
10.2.3 Biodegradation of Oil and Petroleum by Algae . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253
10.2.4 Biodegradation of Oil and Hydrocarbons by Actinomycetes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255
10.3 Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256
Abstract In our daily life, the demand for liquid petroleum products is increasing
day by day. Crude oil-derived hydrocarbons, the largest group of environmental
pollutants found worldwide, pollute our environments severely. Oil or hydrocarbons
cause drastic impacts on living organisms. The many reports about their toxicity
emphasize the ultimate need to remove them from marine and terrestrial environments. For cleaning up pollution by these hydrocarbons, bioremediation seems to be
the most acceptable and economically justified method. Bioremediation is considered one of the most sustainable cleanup techniques, but its potential has not been
fully expressed in the field because it operates too slowly to meet the immediate
demands of a given location. The process of bioremediation is carried out by various
microorganisms. Therefore, in this review, we present information about methods of
oil degradation by such microorganisms as bacteria, fungi, algae, and actinobacteria.
These microbes can help degrade oil or hydrocarbons. This review presents the
unique characteristics of oil-degrading microbes. In addition, it is a starting point for
M. Shakya · P. Verma · S. Kumar · S. S. Sandhu (*)
Bio-Design Innovation Centre, Ekatm Bhawan, Rani Durgavati University, Jabalpur, Madhya
Pradesh, India
e-mail: ssandhu@redifmail.com
© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2021
D. G. Panpatte, Y. K. Jhala (eds.), Microbial Rejuvenation of Polluted Environment,
Microorganisms for Sustainability 25, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-7447-4_10
247