A master's thesis at the College of Marine Sciences, University of Basra, explored the use of nanoparticles to enhance the biodegradation of petroleum hydrocarbons by bacteria from the northwestern Arabian Gulf coast.

The thesis, submitted by student Reham Mohammed Jassim, aimed to evaluate the efficiency of bacteria isolated from sediments along the northwestern Arabian Gulf coast in the biodegradation of petroleum hydrocarbons.

The thesis comprised four chapters in which the student discussed the isolation and identification of the bacteria, assessed their ability to degrade aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons, and studied the effect of nanoparticles on biodegradation efficiency.