Bioremediation in cold climates

Cold-adapted microorganisms play a significant role in the biodegradation of organic pollutants in cold environments. Our studies on low-temperature biodegradation demonstrated the capacity of alpine bacteria and yeasts to degrade efficiently a broad range of hydrocarbons including alkanes, aromatic and polyaromatic hydrocarbons. Bioremediation studies of soils contaminated with hydrocarbons concentrate on the molecular characterization of microorganisms in contaminated and uncontaminated alpine soils, on the optimization of biodegradation processes and on the monitoring of microbial activity during bioremediation.