Abstract
In this study, we isolated seven strains (termed BY1–7) from polluted soil at an oil station and evaluated their abilities to degrade total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPHs). Following 16 rRNA sequence analysis, the strains were identified as belonging to the genera Bacillus, Acinetobacter, Sphingobium, Rhodococcus, and Pseudomonas, respectively. Growth characterization studies indicated that the optimal growth conditions for the majority of the strains was at 30 °C, with a pH value of approximately 7. Under these conditions, the strains showed a high TPH removal efficiency (50%) after incubation in beef extract peptone medium for seven days. Additionally, we investigated the effect of different growth media on growth impact factors that could potentially affect the strains’ biodegradation rates. Our results suggest a potential application for these strains to facilitate the biodegradation of TPH-contaminated soil.
Highlights
Crude oil, exploited industrially since 1867, has become the world’s most important energy resource
The Total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPHs) concentration naturally decreased by 10.6% over the same time period
These results suggested that the seven isolated strains were capable of biodegradation of the TPH pollutants present in the soil
Summary
Crude oil, exploited industrially since 1867, has become the world’s most important energy resource. Total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPHs) are common environmental contaminants originating from crude oil [3]. They include a complex mixture of compounds with carbon numbers ranging from C6 to C35 , some of which are carcinogenic to humans. TPHs are highly stable, resistant to decomposition, and are highly volatile [4] As a result, they pose a serious health threat to humans living near the pollution source. Bacterial strains such as Rhodococcus rhodochrous, Pseudomonas alcaligenes, Rhodococcus erythropolis, and some Acinetobacter species have been found to degrade petroleum, depending on the source of carbon and temperature mostly [6,7,8,9,10]. We identified each of the isolated strains using 16s rRNA sequencing and evaluated their degradation efficiency in different growth media
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