Bioremediation of oil spill: concept, methods and applications

With the sharp increase in population and modernization of society, environmental pollution resulting from oil pills has increased, resulting in an urgent need for remediation, as it poses a significant threat to ecosystems, causing harm to marine life and coastal environments. Bioremediation offers a promising approach to addressing this challenge. It utilizes microorganisms, plants, or fungi to break down the spilled oil into harmless compounds. Remediation depends on factors like the type of oil, indigenous microbes, and environmental conditions. This process can be enhanced through two main techniques: bioaugmentation (where oil-degrading microbes are introduced) and biostimulation (where nutrients are added to stimulate the growth of native oil degraders). This research explores the different applications of bioremediation in the treatment of oil spills, its applications as well as relative hinderances. Bioremediation is often used alongside other cleanup methods and proves most effective when applied strategically.