The water environment is often polluted by oil and its derivatives, as 1.3 million tons of crude oil are released into the world's waters each year. Releases can be natural (release from oil deposits, volcanic processes) or due to the influence of society (tanker accidents, oil production and transportation, oil refining, extraction processes). One major problem is sporadic releases of large quantities of oil, as has occurred in numerous accidents throughout history. Because crude oil contains a large number of different chemical compounds, it has a toxic effect on the environment and on the organisms that come into contact with it. Therefore, it is important that the decomposition processes of the oil occur as quickly as possible. Natural processes include weathering, evaporation, emulsification, dissolution, oxidation, and mechanical movement of the oil. Humans attempt to limit the spread of oil by burning, physically removing, and adding chemicals. In recent years, biological methods have been increasingly developed, which include bioremediation. Fungi have been shown to be microorganisms capable of degrading petroleum products and, along with other microorganisms, are a good potential option for future use.
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