A Comprehensive Review of Aliphatic Hydrocarbon Biodegradation by Bacteria.
Hydrocarbons are relatively recalcitrant compounds and are classified as high-priority pollutants. However, these compounds are slowly degraded by a large variety of microorganisms. Bacteria are able to degrade aliphatic saturated and unsaturated hydrocarbons via both aerobic and anaerobic pathways. Branched hydrocarbons and cyclic hydrocarbons are also degraded by bacteria. The aerobic bacteria use different types of oxygenases, including monooxygenase, cytochrome-dependent oxygenase and dioxygenase, to insert one or two atoms of oxygen into their targets. Anaerobic bacteria, on the other hand, employ a variety of simple organic and inorganic molecules, including sulphate, nitrate, carbonate and metals, for hydrocarbon oxidation.
Centre for Environmental Risk Assessment and Remediation (CERAR), Division of Information Technology, Engineering and the Environment, University of South Australia (UniSA), Adelaide, South Australia, Australia, firouz.abbasian@gmail.com.
Firouz
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Abbasian
Robin
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Lockington
Megharaj
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Mallavarapu
Ravi
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Naidu
D000693:Anaerobiosis; D000818:Animals; D001419:Bacteria / Q000378:metabolism*; D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D001709:Biotechnology; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D006838:Hydrocarbons / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*
D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D006838:Hydrocarbons