Rhizospheric hydrocarbon-utilizing microorganisms as potential contributors to phytoremediation for the oil Kuwaiti desert

• Published in: Microbiological research Vol. 153; no. 3; pp. 247 - 251
• Main Authors: Radwan, S.S., Al-Awadhi, H., Sorkhoh, N.A., El-Nemr, I.M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier GmbH 01-11-1998
• Subjects: Oil biodegradation; phytoremediation-rhizosphere; phytoremediation-rhizosphere; Oil biodegradation
• ISSN: 0944-5013; 1618-0623
• DOI: 10.1016/S0944-5013(98)80007-4

Roots of the wild desert plants,
Senecio glaucus, Cyperus conglomeratus, Launaea mucronata, Picris babylonica and
Salsola imbricata and the crop plants
Vicia faba and
Lupinus albus grown in oil polluted and clean soils were densely associated with hydrocarbon utilizing bacteria. The most dominant were
Cellulomonas flavigena, Rhodococcus erythropolis and
Arthrobacter sp. The rhizosphere soils of all plants contained more hydrocarbon-utilizers than the soils apart. This rhizosphere effect was much more pronounced for plants growing in oil-polluted than clean soils.
C. flavigena predominant in the rhizosphere of
Vicia faba took up representative test aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons. Thus, these bacteria could be contributing in nature to detoxifying and bioremediating the soil around the roots. It was concluded that vegetation may be a feasible approach for cleaning oil-polluted soil, including the polluted Kuwaiti desert areas.