Abstract
Changes in soil physicochemical properties and bacterial species present in soil contaminated with waste engine oil were evaluated at three auto-mechanical workshops in Uyo, Nigeria. This work was aimed at isolating and identifying hydrocarbon degrading bacteria from waste engine oil polluted soil, and assessing their hydrocarbon-utilizing ability. Waste engine oil pollution affected soils significantly with increases in soil physicochemical properties, and heterotrophic bacterial population counts. Eight bacterial species Corynebacterium kutscheri, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Flavobacterium aquatile, Serratia odorifera, Micrococcus agilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Micrococcus luteus and Bacillus substilis were isolated by the selective enrichment technique and screened for hydrocarbon utilization capability in mineral salt media with 1% (v/v) waste engine oil as a sole carbon and energy source. The extent of bacterial growth observed was related to the ability of organisms to biodegrade hydrocarbons present in the medium bacterium species, which showed varying hydrocarbon utilization during the 15 days of incubation. Growth in hydrocarbon medium was the most efficient in cultures of Corynebacterium kutscheri. All isolates also showed variable emulsification ability, with Corynebacterium kutscheri, showing the highest ability. These results demonstrate the presence of indigenous bacteria in hydrocarbon-polluted soils and the potential toward the remediation of hydrocarbons.
Highlights
Petroleum utilization as fuel and petroleum products leads to severe environmental pollution [1]
Eight bacterial species Corynebacterium kutscheri, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Flavobacterium aquatile, Serratia odorifera, Micrococcus agilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Micrococcus luteus and Bacillus substilis were isolated by the selective enrichment technique and screened for hydrocarbon utilization capability in mineral salt media with 1% (v/v) waste engine oil as a sole carbon and energy source
All isolates showed variable emulsification ability, with Corynebacterium kutscheri, showing the highest ability. These results demonstrate the presence of indigenous bacteria in hydrocarbon-polluted soils and the potential toward the remediation of hydrocarbons
Summary
Petroleum utilization as fuel and petroleum products leads to severe environmental pollution [1]. Soil pollution by petroleum hydrocarbons has been shown to produce pronounced changes in the physicochemical and microstructure of the oil-contaminated soil [3]. This affects parameters such as soil porosity, bulk density, and adsorption [4,5]. Fresh spills and/or high levels of pollutants may often result in the reduction of large sectors of soil microbial population, soils with lower levels or old pollution may show an increase in numbers and diversity of microorganisms [6,7]. The diversity and the number of microorganisms at polluted soil sites may assist in the characterization of such a site, such as the toxicity of petroleum hydrocarbons to the microbiome, age of the spill and concentration of the pollutant [8]
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