Phototrophic purple sulfur bacteria are used in wastewater treatment processes and the ability of some Gammaproteobacteria (e.g. the genus Alcanivorax) to bioremediate oil is becoming increasingly important to degrade crude oil after oil spills. Some species from the family Chromatiaceae are notable because might be involved in the production of vitamin B12. Another application of some Gammaproteobacteria is their ability to synthesize Poly-b-hydroxyalkanoate (PHA) which is a polymer that is used in the production of biodegradable plastics. Also lots of Gammaproteobacteria species are able to generate secondary metabolites with antibacterial properties.