Tecnologías para biorremediación de suelos y aguas contaminadas con hidrocarburos

Abstract

Hydrocarbons are substances widely used in industry and everyday life. They are present in many processes and consumer products. However, these compounds have a high polluting potential if they are spilled or disposed in the environment. This review paper is focused on the bioremediation technique, being the most studied and used for the hydrocarbon removal. Bioremediation is the use of natural organisms that degrade hydrocarbons as an essential part of their metabolism. This method is environmentally friendly since no chemical substances with adverse reactions in the environment are used and no waste are generated. Some of the most used organisms are bacteria, plants and fungi with removal efficiencies of various types of hydrocarbons exceeding 60%. It is worth mentioning that a large part of the reported studies have been carried out on a pilot or laboratory scale. This due to the difficulty of continuous monitoring and recording in real-scale places, such as an ocean or contaminated terrain. Efforts are still required to optimize these strategies and get more and better solutions for the treatment of hydrocarbon-contaminated sites.