Analytical approaches used in monitoring the bioremediation of hydrocarbons in petroleum-contaminated soil and sludge

Bioremediation is a familiar process involving actions of microorganisms on the pollutants present in environmental matrices. Monitoring the fate of petroleum hydrocarbons present as contaminants in environmental samples is a retrospective approach to assess the progress of biodegradation process. Chemical analysis is essential in the determination of hydrocarbons at various stages of the experiment. Pervasive research in this area has involved the use of popular analytical tools such as chromatography and spectroscopy. This review focuses on the significance of analytical chemistry in monitoring of bioremediation experiments. The discussions present a comprehensive account of the analysis plan, deviations and critical description of the involved approaches for determination of different hydrocarbons present in petroleum-contaminated soils. Various sample pre-treatment methods such as liquid-liquid, solid-phase, Soxhlet, pressurized fluid extraction etc. have been discussed. Use of chromatography, spectroscopy and other hyphenated platforms is also discussed to expand the prevalent scenario of analysis in bioremediation studies. (C) 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.