en Environmental Health, Sciences, and Engineering Environmental Health, Sciences, and Engineering Review Review Article <div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><span style="line-height:1;"><b><span style="color:black">Background:</span></b><span style="color:black"> Petroleum hydrocarbon contamination poses significant environmental and health risks due to its persistence and widespread occurrence. Bioremediation offers a sustainable, cost-effective solution by leveraging microbial degradation mechanisms. </span><br> <b><span style="color:black">Methods: </span></b><span style="color:black">A literature review was conducted using databases such as PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus, focusing on peer-reviewed articles published within the last decade. Keywords related to petroleum hydrocarbon bioremediation guided the search, while inclusion/exclusion criteria ensured relevance and quality. </span><br> <b><span style="color:black">Results:</span></b><span style="color:black"> The study revealed a wide array of microbial metabolic pathways capable of degrading hydrocarbons under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions, highlighting enzymatic versatility and genetic adaptability. Innovative enhancement strategies such as bioaugmentation with specialized consortia, biostimulation through nutrient optimization, surfactant-induced bioavailability improvement, and integration with nanotechnology and synthetic biology demonstrated substantial increases in remediation efficiency. Monitoring advancements, including molecular tools and real-time sensors, improved process understanding and control. The emergence of novel contaminants and complex mixtures necessitates adaptive, multidisciplinary approaches. </span><br> <b><span style="color:black">Conclusion:</span></b><span style="color:black"> This review underscores the transformative potential of integrated bioremediation technologies in tackling petroleum pollution. Strategic combinations of microbial engineering, advanced materials, and ecological insights offer scalable solutions. These findings advocate for policy alignment and interdisciplinary collaboration to achieve sustainable environmental restoration.</span></span></span></span></div> Metabolic Pathways, Petroleum hydrocarbons, Bioremediation, Anaerobic degradation, Petroleum contamination, 138 150 http://jhehp.zums.ac.ir/browse.php?a_code=A-10-230-13&slc_lang=en&sid=1 Amir Hossein Baghaie ambaghaie@yahoo.com 100319475328460015591 100319475328460015591 Yes Department of Soil Science, Arak Branch, Islamic Azad University, Arak, Iran; Food Security Research Center, Arak Branch, Islamic Azad University, Arak, Iran; Research Center of Applied Plant Science, Arak Branch, Islamic Azad University, Arak, Iran. Mehran Keshavarzi Mehran@yahoo.com 100319475328460015592 100319475328460015592 No Department of Agronomy and Plant Breeding, Faculty of Agriculture, Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan, Iran.