The effect of cymbopogon citratus essential oil on community dynamics of biofilm-forming bacteria isolated from brine water of oil reservoir in South Sumatra

Abstract

Biofilm induces an electric potential difference on metal pipelines of oil and gas industries which result in accelerated pipeline corrosion. This study evaluated Cymbopogon citratus essential oil nanoparticle performance as an antimicrobial to prevent metal corrosion. This study aims to determine C. citratus essential oil nanoparticle’s minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), minimum biofilm inhibitory concentration (MBIC), minimum biofilm eradication concentration (MBEC), and its effect on bacterial community dynamics. C. citratus essential oil was encapsulated by ionic gelation. MIC, MBIC, and MBEC were determined by the microdilution method. Bacterial community dynamics were analyzed using Total Plate Count. Biofilm-forming bacteria were isolated from brine water of South Sumatra oil reservoir which identified as Pseudomonas sp. 1, Pseudomonas sp. 2, and Pannonibacter pragmithetus based on 16S rRNA sequence similarity analysis using NCBI-BLAST. C. citratus essential oil nanoparticle was successfully formed which was 174.1 nm in size, having MIC and MBIC value at 0.03%, and MBEC value at 0.06%. Pseudomonas sp. 1 was the most affected by essential oil nanoparticle exposure on planktonic phase while P. pragmithetus was the most affected on sessile phase. Based on this study, C. citratus essential oil nanoparticle has the potential to be an antimicrobial agent to prevent metal corrosion.