Construction of an artificial microalgal-bacterial consortium that efficiently degrades crude oil

• Published in: Journal of hazardous materials Vol. 181; no. 1; pp. 1158 - 1162
• Main Authors: Tang, X., He, L.Y., Tao, X.Q., Dang, Z., Guo, C.L., Lu, G.N., Yi, X.Y.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier B.V 15-09-2010; Elsevier
• Subjects: Algal-bacterial consortium; Aliphatic compounds; Alkanes - metabolism; Applied sciences; Bacteria; Bacteria - metabolism; Biodegradation, Environmental; Burkholderia cepacia; Construction; Crude oil; Culture; Degradation; Eukaryota - metabolism; Exact sciences and technology; Hydrocarbons; Hydrocarbons, Aromatic - metabolism; Oil component-degrading bacteria; Pandoraea pnomenusa; Petroleum - metabolism; Pollution; Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons; Pseudomonas; Scenedesmus obliquus; Sphingomonas; Algal-bacterial consortium; Scenedesmus obliquus; Crude oil; Oil component-degrading bacteria; Pseudomonadales; Hydrocarbon; Aliphatic compound; Algae; Polycyclic aromatic compound; Mutagen; Pseudomonas; Persistent organic pollutant; Carcinogen; Burkholderia cepacia; Bacteria; Pseudomonadaceae; Aromatic compound; Organic compounds; Gram negative bacteria
• ISSN: 0304-3894; 1873-3336
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2010.05.033

Four oil component-degrading bacteria and one oil-tolerant microalgae,
Scenedesmus obliquus GH2, were used to construct an artificial microalgal-bacterial consortium for crude-oil degradation. The bacterial strains included
Sphingomonas GY2B and
Burkholderia cepacia GS3C, along with a mixed culture, named GP3, containing
Pseudomonas GP3A and
Pandoraea pnomenusa GP3B. GY2B could only degrade polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, GS3C was able to degrade aliphatic chain hydrocarbons, and GP3 could utilize both saturated and aromatic hydrocarbons. In combination with unialgal or axenic algae, the bacteria showed different effects on oil degradation. Unialgal GH2 was not suitable for the consortium construction, as it could not cooperate well with GS3C and GP3. The axenic GH2 exhibited no oil-degrading ability; however, it significantly promoted the degradation ability of the oil component-degrading bacteria, especially for degrading biorefractory polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Axenic
S. obliquus GH2, combined with the four bacteria mentioned above, formed an optimal algal-bacterial consortium. The artificial consortium demonstrated an elevated efficiency in degrading both aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons of crude oil.