Potential of the green alga Chlorella vulgaris for biodegradation of crude oil hydrocarbons

• Published in: Marine pollution bulletin Vol. 123; no. 1-2; pp. 286 - 290
• Main Authors: Xaaldi Kalhor, Aadel, Movafeghi, Ali, Mohammadi-Nassab, Adel Dabbagh, Abedi, Ehsan, Bahrami, Ahmad
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 15-10-2017; Elsevier BV
• Subjects: Algae; Algal phytoremediation; Aquatic plants; Biodegradation; Biodegradation, Environmental; Chlorella vulgaris; Chlorella vulgaris - metabolism; Crude oil; Dry weight; Drying oils; Hydrocarbons; Hydrocarbons - metabolism; Oil and gas exploration; Oil and gas production; Oil pollution; Oil production; Petroleum - metabolism; Petroleum hydrocarbons; Petroleum Pollution; Pollutants; Transportation; Water Pollutants, Chemical - metabolism; Water pollution; Weight reduction; Biodegradation; Algal phytoremediation; Crude oil; Chlorella vulgaris; Oil pollution
• ISSN: 0025-326X; 1879-3363
• DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2017.08.045

Oil production and/or transportation can cause severe environmental pollution and disrupt the populations of living organisms. In the present study, biodegradation of petroleum hydrocarbons is investigated using Chlorella vulgaris as a green algal species. The microalga was treated by 10 and 20g/l crude oil/water concentrations at two experimental durations (7 and 14days). Based on the results obtained, C. vulgaris owned not only considerable resistance against the pollutants but also high ability in remediation of crude oil hydrocarbons (~94% of the light and ~88% of heavy compounds in 14days). Intriguingly, dry weight of C. vulgaris increased by the rising crude oil concentration indicating the positive effect of crude oil on the growth of the algal species. This biodegradation process is remarkably a continuous progression over a period of time.
•Dry mass of Chlorella vulgaris increased by the increasing crude oil concentration.•Skeletonema costatum did not tolerate the concentration of 20g/l crude oil in the medium.•Maximum cleanup percentage of crude oil hydrocarbons by Chlorella vulgaris was ~94%.