Govind Kumar

By Govind Kumar, Pankaj Bhatt and Shatrohan Lal

Rapid industrialization leads to the deterioration of quality of life and the environment. Petroleum hydrocarbon pollution is one of the contributing factors to that. Petroleum hydrocarbons (PHCs) are natural products, and under high temperature and pressure, they are produced by the anaerobic conversion of biomass. Excessive use of PHCs leads to pollution in the agriculturally important soils and the ultimate source of potability of water, that is, groundwater which is gaining significant attention throughout the world. The fortuitous release of PHCs such as gasoline, diesel, and heating oil are common sources of groundwater contamination. The PHC concentrations in groundwater are often above drinking water standards and bioremediation actions have to be taken. Due to their organic nature, PHCs are difficult to degrade as unavailable for microbial action. Due to this, PHCs are the most widespread environmental contaminants. Plant-microbe synergistic association for remediation of PHCs is comprehensive and it is an effective tool for reclamation of soil and environment from these kinds of undesirable materials. In addition to providing plant growth promotion, microbes can degrade PHCs effectively.

Part of the book: Soil Contamination