Effect of an electric field on n-hexadecane microbial degradation in contaminated soil

► This is the first in-depth study of the decontamination mechanism of n-alkanes by electro-bioremediation. ► Electro-bioremediation can be used to the in situ decontamination of middle-long chain aliphatics in soils. ► The accelerated β-oxidation of alkanoic acids is the competitive advantage of electro-bioremediation.