Zeitschrift für Mikrobiologie und Pathologie

Alcanivorax borkumensis: A Hydrocarbon Feeder

Abstract

Muhammad Noor*

Alcanivorax borkumensis is a hydrocarbon feeder bacterium. They are rod shaped bacteria living in marine environment where they feed on the hydrocarbons. They are born with the gene sets that produce specific proteins for the degradation of the hydrocarbons. They are used to clear and clean the oil spills from the oceans when there are disasters or any other leakages of oil in the ocean. A. borkumensis ability to degrade hydrocarbons and alkanes is a major point and an opportunity for the scientists to use these bacteria to clean up the environment and oceans. With the ongoing specter of oil spills from tankers, ocean-based drill rigs, and pipelines, the need for remediation strategies has never been greater.