The Chemistry and Physicochemical Features of the Microbiological Oxidation of Petroleum Hydrocarbons

The review examines Soviet and foreign literature on the microbiological synthesis of proteins from petroleum hydrocarbons. The general characteristics of the process and the conditions for its occurrence are described together with the chemical mechanism of the microbiological oxidation of aliphatic, aromatic, and heterocyclic hydrocarbons. Particular attention has been devoted to the physicochemical and topochemical features of the process. It has been shown that the process is similar from the physicochemical standpoint to the oxidation of hydrocarbons in emulsions. The bibliography includes 241 references.