ABSTRACT
Hydrocarbons are an important class of organic waste in soil. The interest in the focused use of special microorganisms for biological degradation of hydrocarbons has increased over the past few years. The literature on the subject of microbial degradation of petroleum and its products is quite voluminous. As early as 1903 , the first microorganisms were described which used hydrocarbons as a source of carbons and energy. At present, more than 40 species of microorganisms are known which use aliphatic or aromatic hydrocarbons in the course of biological degradation. These microorganisms have been isolated from the oceans, from fresh waters, as well as from the soil.
