Spilling of petroleum oil occurs in ocean due to various reasons. This oil may prove fatal and toxic to aquatic organisms. It is not easy to remove the oil layer from surface of water by mechanical method. However, bacteria like Pseudomonas spp. and Alcanovorax borkumensis have the ability to destroy the pyridines and other chemicals. Hence, these bacteria are used to clear the oil spills. These are called as hydrocarbonoclastic bacteria (HCB). HCB decompose the hydrocarbons and bring about the reaction of carbon with oxygen. CO2 and water is formed in this process.
