Life Cycle of Oil Spills: A Literature Review of the Formation and Fate of Oil Particle Aggregates

ABSTRACT Oil spills represent a substantial risk to aquatic ecosystems in marine environments, with procedures like biodegradation shaping the environmental circumstances and ecological consequences of spilled oil. The formation of oil particle aggregates (OPAs) is influenced by numerous components, including sea minerals, marine algae and sediment types. Microorganisms, such as bacteria, algae and phytoplankton, play a vital function in the aggregation of oil particles by producing extracellular substances, including exopolymeric substances (EPS) and transparent exopolymer particles (TEP). Biodegradation is a major factor in determining the fate of oil droplets, particularly those smaller than 0.5 mm, as these droplets undergo substantial microbial degradation. This review provides an in‐depth discussion of various techniques for detecting oil spills, the formation of OPAs in the presence of diverse microorganisms and the biodegradation of oil spills.