alkaliphiles are a class of extremophilic microbes capable of survival in alkaline (ph roughly 8.5–11) environments, growing optimally around a ph of 10. these bacteria can be further categorized as obligate alkaliphiles (those that require high ph to survive), facultative alkaliphiles (those able to survive in high ph, but also grow under normal conditions) and haloalkaliphiles (those that require high salt content to survive).