Bioremediation: Review on oil spill management using oil eating microorganisms, and spill effects on marine and terrestrial environment

Abstract

With never ending increase in usage and demand of petroleum products worldwide chances of its spill also increase. Oil spills directly affect marine as well as terrestrial ecosystem, as petroleum product became source of water pollution. Marine shorelines serve as home to variety of wildlife oil spills thus destroying habitat of different animals by polluting coastline. Fishes and birds being the main victims. Different physical and chemical methods are used to manage oil spills. However bioremediation is considered as best procedure to manage oil spills around the world. Bioremediation uses the oil loving microbes (lyophilic) to cope oil spills, microbes are cable of destroying complex chemical compounds, some bacteria consume hydrocarbon as their ultimate energy and carbon source. Although process is considered as highly effective the rate at which degradation occur is very slow to prevent oil effecting shore and marine ecosystem, generally  due to limitation of availability of nutrients which are generally nitrogen and phosphorous. Two type of methods are generally involved in bioremediation, these include bio augmentation and bio stimulation. In bio augmentation biodegradable bacteria are added to existing population at effected site while in bio stimulation, is addition of nutrients to make process more effective and efficient. Latest technology introduce use of nanoparticles in bioremediation. Along with bacteria some microalgae are under consideration for effective bioremediation. Challenges involve in biodegradation include slow bioremediation of polycyclic hydrocarbons of high molecular weight, i.e. asphaltenes can be difficult to deal .While failure of some techniques which are successful in laboratory at effected site is another problem .The review focus on oil spill effects, new trends in bioremediation developing technique and microbial bioremediation agents.