Bioremediation of Petroleum Hydrocarbons in Soil

The work presented in the book is an assessment of soil collected from automobile workstations in terms of contamination with heavy metals and total petroleum hydrocarbons and also an attempt to isolate the PAHs degrading microbes which were then applied to phytoremediation systems. It can be recommended from our studies that automobile workshop areas which are releasing petroleum hydrocarbons and heavy metals into the surrounding environment should be permitted to be established in areas away from Highways to avoid contamination. Certain plants and grasses can be used to assess the toxicity of oil contaminants in soil. Though both compost and microbes can be successfully employed to enhance the biodegradability of oil contaminated areas, selected actinomycetes can be recommended as promising candidates to be considered in the construction of microbial consortia for remediation of PAH contaminants in soil. Bermuda grass can be effectively used in phytoremediation of petroleum contaminants present in soil.