Abstract
The catastrophic effect of petroleum contamination on the environment is a
severe problem of global concern. Bioremediation is probably the easiest and most
cost-effective way to treat the contaminants. Several microorganisms ranging from
bacteria, fungi, yeast, algae, etc., are known for their ability to biodegrade different
hydrocarbons. Hydrocarbon degrading microorganisms are largely known for the
release of biosurfactants and other surface-active biopolymers, which decrease the
surface tension of oil particles into smaller entities for their easy degradation
throughout the respective metabolic cycle. Such biopolymers are encoded by several
genes and operon systems which are discussed briefly in this chapter. Information on
such genes help in better understanding the molecular events involved in the microbial
bioremediation of petroleum hydrocarbon.