University of Basrah Organizes a Course on Environmental Treatment of Oil Pollution
The Center for Marine Sciences at the University of Basrah organized a training course entitled Bacterial Degradation of Aliphatic and Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Oil Wastes.
The course aimed to build and develop participants’ capacities in utilizing biotechnological techniques to combat pollution resulting from oil residues and wastes, which pose significant environmental risks.
The course, delivered by Dr. Iman Abdullah Al-Imarah, explained the mechanisms by which bacteria isolated from hydrocarbon-contaminated environments break down and degrade complex petroleum compounds. Particular emphasis was placed on aliphatic hydrocarbons—straight-chain or branched compounds—as well as aromatic hydrocarbons, which are cyclic compounds such as benzene and toluene. These compounds are more resistant to degradation and more toxic, and are metabolized by bacteria as sources of carbon and energy for growth, ultimately being converted into compounds that are less harmful to the environment.
The course highlighted the importance of this technology as part of sustainable development approaches, presenting it as an environmentally friendly (green), promising, and cost-effective solution for addressing oil spills and remediating contaminated soil and water, compared with conventional chemical or physical methods that may be less efficient or have adverse side effects.
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