Biodegradation of Crude Oil

Microorganisms capable of degrading/detoxifying crude oil were isolated from soil compost. The physicochemical parameters of the soil samples that harbor the growth of hydrocarbon utilizing organisms were also determined using standard procedures. The microorganisms isolated in this course of study showed an appreciable degree of degradation of crude oil used. The hydrocarbon utilizing capabilities by the Micrococcus sp., and Bacillus subtilis isolated from soil composts were analyzed. In biodegradation experiment, utilization of substrates by bacterial isolates resulted in increased population densities with simultaneous increase in emulsification index (EI24) value and decrease in residual crude oil concentration. The Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FTIR) analyses of the residual hydrocarbons in the liquid minimal salt medium at the end of 15 days incubation showed that Micrococcus sp., had the highest degradation rate of 93.7%, while the Bacillus subtilis had biodegradation rate of 87.5% respectively. Oil pollution is worldwide thread to the environment and the remediation of oil contaminated soil, sediments and water is a major challenge for environmental research.