## 4 Discussion
Naphthalene increases its toxicity by forming covalent bonds with molecules in the liver, kidney and lung tissues. It also inhibits mitochondrial respiration [38]. The synthesis of many chemical compounds found in insecticides, fungicides, detergents, dyes and mothballs has also utilized several PAHs, such as naphthalene and phenanthrene [39]. All across the world, the emission of crude and refined petroleum products contributes to environmental contamination. These intricate combinations of hydrocarbons could contain hundreds of different molecules, each with a unique structure and vulnerability to biodegradation [40]. This leaves the shoreline lands within the Niger Delta region bare of both animal and plant life as concentrations analyzed were above regulatory limits. Eventually, the impacts on human life are deleterious, making such environments devoid of civilization and locals losing every source of livelihood. According to [PERSON] and [PERSON] [41], bacteria are the main environmental agents for hydrocarbon breakdown, and these microorganisms are found everywhere. A total of numerous (sub) phyla and more than 20 genera of marine bacteria that break down hydrocarbons According to [PERSON] [42], Flexibactercytophaga-Bacteroides, Gram-positive bacteria and proteobacteria have all been identified thus far. Bacteria isolated in our current study were as well mostly within these groups of bacterial families and also exhibited these characteristics. Microorganisms have been discovered to degrade PAHs as carbon and energy sources, as a way to reduce PAH toxicity, and as a co-metabolic substrate [43]. The fact that several microorganism species have been shown to speed up the breakdown of naphtha in soil suggests that naphthalene could function as a carbon and energy source, potentially explaining the greater breakdown rate [19; 44; 45; 46], proven by the isolation of microbes from the naphthalene enrichment culture. Studies have shown that the mineralization or degradation of anthracene and naphthalene is hampered by the absence of oxygen, with the addition of supplements unable to improve the uptake of these PAHs [47]. This would have adverse effects on applications of microbial consortium on spill sites with varying degrees of physical properties coupled with the recalcitrant nature of PAHs. Moreover, PAH contamination in soil increases with the level of difficulty for microbes to access these molecules as most bacteria are known only to degrade chemicals dissolved in water [48]. This issue brought about the use of emulsifiers and, particularly bio-emulsifiers for a more wholesome degradation process. Biosurfactants are surface-active substances generated by microorganisms [49]. Biosurfactants have been observed to have a varying spectrum of activity, which is dependent on the chemical composition of the bio-emulsifier. Bacteria producing glycolipids (their surface-acting agent) when added to hydrocarbon sites show quickened degradation of PAHs using DCPIP [50]. In order to differentiate between bacteria that create biosurfactants and those that do not, biosurfactant screening was performed using the emulsification index approach. Strains BSP1 and BSP2 were discovered to produce biosurfactants, whereas strains TSP1 and TSP2 did not. Biosurfactant producers such as _Pseudomonas_ were observed during the study to more effectively reduce the amount of DCPIP infused with the PAH compounds anthracene and naphthalene. Biosurfactant production is very necessary for the effective degradation of PAH in the soil [51]. Biosurfactants in biofilms create a natural emulsifying agent, which makes available the hydrophilic ends of PAH molecules for microbial solubilization. An anthracene-degrading strain of _Pseudomonas_ was found to be producing biosurfactants (emulsifying agents), which increased bioavailability and moderate reduction of the contaminant [52].