An innovative and environmentally safe bioremediation technology for crude oil contaminated soils and petroleum waste treatment has been developed based on immobilized hydrocarbon-oxidizing bacterial cells and non-toxic biosurfactants. The biotechnology developed allows a significant reduction in the petroleum hydrocarbon biodestruction rate under moderate and cold climate conditions. The developed technological scheme for highly contaminated soil bioremediation involves slurry bioreactor treatment, composting/land farming and phytoremediation.

The biotechnology can be applied for highly concentrated (20--30 %wt.) oil contaminations, particularly for contaminated land remediation, oil shale storage pit liquidation, accidental oil spill treatment, and clean-up of contaminated sites on the territory of oil-extracting and refinery facilities. Bioremediation efficiency reaches 80–90 % in 7–12 weeks, resulting in decontamination of oil-polluted soils to the levels that allow their use for technological (oil industry), agricultural and other economic purposes.