Oxygen's key role as a reactant during aerobic hydrocarbon degradation led to the belief for many years that n-alkanes and other hydrocarbons were recalcitrant under anoxic conditions. Research during the last 15 years, however, has shown that microorganisms have adapted and evolved to use hydrocarbon substrates under varying reducing conditions and that they employ novel biochemical processes to activate these compounds in the absence of oxygen.
Oxygen's pivotal function as a reactant in aerobic hydrocarbon breakdown led to widespread conviction that n-alkanes and other hydrocarbons were resistant under low-oxygen conditions. Nevertheless, research conducted over the last 15 years has revealed that microorganisms have adapted and evolved to utilize hydrocarbon substrates under varying reducing conditions and employ innovative biochemical processes to activate these compounds in the absence of oxygen.