Evolution in mitigation approaches for petroleum oil-polluted environment: recent advances and future directions

Increasing petroleum consumption and a rise in incidental oil spillages have become global concerns owing to their aquatic and terrestrial toxicity. Various physicochemical and biological treatment strategies have been studied to tackle them and their impact on environment. One of such approaches in this regard is the use of microbial processes due to their being green and also apparent low cost and high effectiveness. This review presents the advancement in the physical and biological remediation methods and their progressive efficacy if employed in combination of hybrid modes. The use of biosurfactants and/or biochar along with microbes seems to be a more effective bioremediation approach as compared to their individual effects. The lacuna in research at community or molecular level has been overcome by the recent introduction of -omics technology in hydrocarbon degradation. Thus, the review further focuses on presenting the state-of-art information on the advancement of petroleum bioremediation strategies and identifies the research gaps for achieving total mitigation of petroleum oil.

Automated summary

Increasing petroleum consumption and incidental oil spillages have global impacts on aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems due to their toxicity. Utilizing microbial processes, such as biosurfactants and biochar, in combination with traditional methods can improve the efficacy of remediation strategies. The introduction of -omics technology has advanced research in hydrocarbon degradation, addressing gaps in community or molecular level studies.