Bioremediation is the use of micro-organisms that occur naturally in the environment and degrade contaminants into carbon dioxide and water. Biological processes have been used successfully to remediate soils contaminated with petroleum hydrocarbons and their derivative. Several petroleum hydrocarbons can act as a source of carbon and energy for the growth of soil micro-organisms. Contamination of soil by petroleum hydrocarbons is an important environmental problem. Hydrocarbons are a frequent cause of environmental pollution. Although hydrocarbons in general are biodegradable, the main limiting factor to their effective and complete degradation is their bioavailability to soil micro-organisms. The elimination of petroleum hydrocarbons from the environment is an absolute requirement to promote a sustainable development of our society with low environmental impact. In this paper are presented the preliminary results concerning the bioremediation of contaminated soils using a natural hydrocarbon absorbent product to enhance the biodegradation of petroleum hydrocarbons.

bioremediation; polluted soils; petroleum hydrocarbons

Presentation: oral