Bacterial Biodegradation of Hydrocarbon-Rich Wastes: Strategies for Environmental Remediation and Resource Recovery

Articles in Press

Document Type : Review Article

Authors

Department of Botany and Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Arish University, 45511, Egypt

Abstract

Hydrocarbon-rich wastes, including used cooking oil, burned engine oil, food residues, olive-mill wastewater, and petroleum products are key drivers of environmental pollution. They disrupt ecological balance, introduce toxicants, and contribute to greenhouse-gas emissions. Conventional physicochemical treatments are costly, energy intensive, and may generate secondary waste. Bacterial biodegradation and bioremediation provide sustainable alternatives that harness microbial metabolism to detoxify pollutants while enabling resource recovery. This review summarizes bacterial roles in hydrocarbon degradation; enzymatic pathways and genes (alkB, ladA, CYP153, catechol and gentisate dioxygenases); engineered microbes; consortia; integrative strategies such as biosurfactants, nanotechnology, bioaugmentation, and biostimulation; and synergy with photocatalysis or electrobioreactors. We outline methods for isolating strains from waste, optimizing nutrient regimes, and monitoring performance using qPCR, metagenomics, and respirometry. Challenges posed by petroleum–metal co-contamination are examined, including metal inhibition of key enzymes and community shifts, with solutions based on metal-tolerant strains, biosorption, chelation, and redox buffering. Case studies highlight field applications, from shoreline cleanups to wastewater treatment, and assess techno-economic and life-cycle considerations. By integrating recent advances, the review identifies design rules for robust bioprocesses and prioritizes research on onsite sensing, genome-scale modeling, and standardized performance metrics. Microbial and hybrid biotechnologies can effectively reduce environmental burdens while converting hydrocarbon waste into value.

Keywords

Main Subjects

Arish Journal of Sciences

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 03 November 2025

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics