Anaerobic biodegradation of hydrocarbons

The anaerobic biodegradation of hydrocarbons has long been a subject of controversy but enough data have now been accumulated to support the view that hydrocarbons can be metabolized in the natural environment in the absence of molecular oxygen. For a limited number of molecules, anaerobic hydrocarbon metabolism has been demonstrated under fermentative or denitrifying conditions with samples collected from several different biotopes. However, the micro-organisms responsible for anaerobic metabolism generally still need to be isolated and identified and the biochemical mechanisms of the strictly anaerobic strains which carry out hydrocarbon metabolism are still unknown. Despite this restricted knowledge, the improvement in sampling techniques and in experimental methods is now sufficient to confirm the existence of anaerobic hydrocarbon biodegradation. The importance of such metabolism should stimulate research in this field.