Biodegradation of crude oil using an efficient microbial consortium in a simulated marine environment

• Published in: Marine pollution bulletin Vol. 64; no. 6; pp. 1177 - 1185
• Main Authors: Bao, Mu-tai, Wang, Li-na, Sun, Pei-yan, Cao, Li-xin, Zou, Jie, Li, Yi-ming
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01-06-2012
• Subjects: Bacteria; Bacteria - classification; Bacteria - growth & development; Bacteria - metabolism; Biodegradation; Biodegradation, Environmental; Brevibacillus; Brevibacillus - growth & development; Brevibacillus - metabolism; Brevibacillus parabrevis; Crude oil; Degradation; environmental factors; Flasks; Marine; marine environment; Marine environments; Marine oil pollution; Mesocosm; Microbial Consortia; microbial growth; Microorganisms; nutrient utilization; Ochrobactrum; Ochrobactrum - growth & development; Ochrobactrum - metabolism; Ochrobactrum sp; petroleum; Petroleum - analysis; Petroleum - metabolism; Seawater - chemistry; Seawater - microbiology; Simulation; sodium chloride; temperature; Utilization; Water Pollutants, Chemical - analysis; Water Pollutants, Chemical - metabolism; water pollution; Biodegradation; Brevibacillus parabrevis; Mesocosm; Ochrobactrum sp; Marine oil pollution
• ISSN: 0025-326X; 1879-3363
• DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2012.03.020

► This paper provided a more detailed investigation about the escalation experiment. ► The crude oil degradation rate could reach up to 79% at 25°C in 3.0% NaCl solution in the flask trial. ► Over 51.1% of TPH were degraded at the oil concentration of 0.5L/m2 in mesocosm experiment. ► The esocosm experiment was a primary exploration in forming a common investigation method.
Ochrobactrum sp. N1, Brevibacillus parabrevis N2, B. parabrevis N3 and B. parabrevis N4 were selected when preparing a mixed bacterial consortium based on the efficiency of crude oil utilization. A crude oil degradation rate of the N-series microbial consortium reached upwards of 79% at a temperature of 25°C in a 3.0% NaCl solution in the shake flask trial. In the mesocosm experiment, a specially designed device was used to simulate the marine environment. The internal tank size was 1.5m (L)×0.8m (W)×0.7m (H). The microbial growth conditions, nutrient utilization and environmental factors were thoroughly investigated. Over 51.1% of the crude oil was effectively removed from the simulated water body. The escalation process (from flask trials to the mesocosm experiment), which sought to represent removal under conditions more similar to the field, proved the high efficiency of using N-series bacteria in crude oil degradation.