Isolation & Characterization of Hydrocarbon Degrading Bacteria: A Bio-remedial Approach to Clean-up Oil Spills

Abstract

the technologies are expensive and not very efficient to deal with recalcitrant pollutants. The present study deals with the bioremediation of crude oil. The study involved the collection of surface soil of the spillage/contaminated area to isolate and identify the oil-degrading bacteria. Bacteria were isolated and grown on MSM-agar medium containing crude oil as a carbon source in Petri-dishes. The isolated strain of bacteria was effective in the biodegradation of oil in 28 days. The samples were analysed using GC-FID which demonstrated efficient degradation of oil by the isolated microbe. The hydrocarbon degraders were identified as Gram-negative cocci bacteria. The isolated bacteria could serve as a cost-effective and efficient alternative for microbial degradation of hydrocarbon pollutants in soil and water in an environmentally friendly and sustainable manner.